A study into using Viagra to help pregnant women whose babies were not growing properly has been stopped after the deaths of 11 babies.
Amsterdam University Medical Centre, which carried out the research alongside 10 other hospitals, announced the decision to halt the research after 11 deaths and a further six babies who suffered from lung disease having been born prematurely, SBS reports.
10 to 15 other patients are waiting to see if their children have been affected, The Guardian reports.
Viagra is most commonly used for erectile dysfunction in men and is prescribed for people with high blood pressure. The hope of the study was that the drug would encourage a better flow of blood through the placenta, promoting the growth of the child. It had been backed up by research on rats.
“We wanted to show that this was effective to promote growth among babies, But the opposite has happened,” Amsterdam gynaecologist Wessel Ganzevoort said of the deaths.
“I am shocked. The last thing you want is to harm patients.”
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