WHO study shows drug could save thousands of women’s lives

World Health Organisation (WHO) "A new formulation of a drug to prevent excessive bleeding following childbirth could save thousands of women’s lives in low- and lower-middle-income countries, according to a study led by WHO in collaboration with MSD for Mothers and Ferring Pharmaceuticals.

The study, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine, has shown an alternative drug – heat-stable carbetocin – to be as safe and effective as oxytocin in preventing postpartum haemorrhage. This new formulation of carbetocin does not require refrigeration and retains its efficacy for at least 3 years stored at 30 degrees celsius and 75% relative humidity." (Photo: UNICEF Ethiopia/flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

• www.who.int