AIDS Home > Edurant and Pregnancy
The FDA has given a pregnancy Category B rating to Edurant (rilpivirine), which means that it is probably safe for use in pregnant women. When the active ingredient in this drug was given to pregnant animals, it did not appear to cause any problems in the offspring. However, because humans may respond differently than animals, Edurant should only be prescribed if the benefits outweigh the risks.
Can Pregnant Women Take Edurant?
Edurant™ (rilpivirine) is a prescription HIV treatment. Based on the results of animal studies, this drug is probably safe for use during pregnancy.What Is Pregnancy Category B?
Edurant is a pregnancy Category B medicine. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a specific medicine is taken during pregnancy. Pregnancy Category B is given to medicines that have not been studied in pregnant humans but did not appear to cause fetal harm in animal studies.Animal studies have suggested that rilpivirine, the active ingredient in Edurant, is unlikely to cause problems during pregnancy. Of course, Edurant can sometimes cause serious side effects (see Edurant Side Effects and Viramune Warnings and Precautions), and such side effects could affect any individual, pregnant or not.
However, it is important to note that animals do not always respond to medicines in the same way that humans do. Therefore, a pregnancy Category B medicine should be given to a pregnant woman only if a healthcare provider believes that the benefits to the woman outweigh any possible risks to the unborn child.