©The Author(s) 2015. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Rheumatol. Jul 12, 2015; 5(2): 82-89
Published online Jul 12, 2015. doi: 10.5499/wjr.v5.i2.82
Published online Jul 12, 2015. doi: 10.5499/wjr.v5.i2.82
Safety of biologic therapies during pregnancy in women with rheumatic disease
Natalia Mena-Vazquez, Sara Manrique-Arija, Antonio Fernandez-Nebro, Department of Rheumatology, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Universidad de Málaga, 29009 Málaga, Spain
Author contributions: All the authors contributed to this paper.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
Correspondence to: Antonio Fernandez-Nebro, PhD, Department of Rheumatology, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga (IBIMA), Hospital Regional Universitario de Málaga, Universidad de Málaga, Plaza del Hospital Civil s/nPabellón 7 – 2ª planta, 29009 Málaga, Spain. afernandezn@uma.es
Telephone: +34-951-290360 Fax: +34-951-290360
Received: August 2, 2014
Peer-review started: August 3, 2014
First decision: August 28, 2014
Revised: March 8, 2015
Accepted: April 1, 2015
Article in press: April 7, 2015
Published online: July 12, 2015
Processing time: 339 Days and 15.8 Hours
Peer-review started: August 3, 2014
First decision: August 28, 2014
Revised: March 8, 2015
Accepted: April 1, 2015
Article in press: April 7, 2015
Published online: July 12, 2015
Processing time: 339 Days and 15.8 Hours
Core Tip
Core tip: Biologic therapy during pregnancy is an important topic that remains unresolved. Most of the monoclonal antibodies are actively transferred to fetal circulation using the neonatal Fc receptor. Some evidence suggests that differences may exist between drugs relating to safety associated with structure and the capacity to cross the placenta, but we are not aware of any study that supports this statement. Although the clinical data to date are promising, no firm conclusions can be drawn about the safety of biologic drugs during pregnancy, and, without further evidence, guidelines that suggest these drugs should be avoided at the time of conception cannot yet be changed.