Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Drug Repurposing Hypothesis Generation Using the "RE:fine Drugs" System
Published on: December 11, 2016
Prescription of drugs during pregnancy: a study using EFEMERIS, the new French database
I Lacroix1, C Hurault, M F Sarramon
1Centre Midi-Pyrénées de Pharmacovigilance, de Pharmacoépidémiologie et d'Information sur le Médicament, Unité de Pharmacoépidémiologie, EA3696, Université de Toulouse, 37 Allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France. lacroix@cict.fr
Background:
Because of the limited data concerning drug risks in pregnancy, health professionals are often deprived of relevant and sufficient information related to prescribing or dispensing during pregnancy. However, previous studies have emphasised the widespread French prescription of several drugs (sometimes "typically French") which have not been assessed in pregnant women.
Objectives:
The aim of the present study was to create the first French database of drugs prescribed and dispensed during pregnancy and the outcome of these pregnancies.
Methods:
This feasibility study concerns pregnant women who gave birth to a baby between 1 July 2004 to 30 June 2005 in Haute-Garonne and who are registered in the French Health Insurance Service. Data sources include (1) the French Health Insurance Database (drugs prescribed during pregnancy), (2) the Mother and Child Protection Centre Database (newborn health at birth and 9 months after) and (3) the Antenatal Diagnostic Centre Database (medical pregnancy interruptions).
Results:
The database is composed of 10,174 "mother-outcome" pairs. The prevalence rate of congenital anomalies was 2.2%. Pregnant women were prescribed 11.3 +/- 8.2 different drugs. Among the 20 most frequently prescribed drugs, around half of them have not been evaluated in pregnant women.
Conclusions:
The first results of this study show that implementation of a French database on prescription of drugs and pregnancy outcomes is feasible. Compared with several databases available in other countries, EFEMERIS provides exact data on period of exposure to drugs, pregnancy terminations, and follow up of the baby 9 months after birth. Recording these data would make it possible to assess the risk of malformations due to a greater number of drugs and would contribute to international drug evaluation studies.
Related Concept Videos
Drug Regulation
Prescription, Nonprescription and Orphan Drugs
The misuse and addiction to prescription drugs is a growing problem that can affect people of all age groups, specifically teenagers. This can happen when prescription medications are used in ways not intended by the prescriber, such as taking someone else's prescription or using medication for...
Factors Affecting Drug Response: Overview
Intrauterine Drug Delivery Systems
Pharmacovigilance
This process, termed pharmacovigilance, aims to detect, evaluate, and minimize harmful effects related to medication use. The data collection for pharmacovigilance depends on spontaneous reporting systems, where healthcare professionals or patients voluntarily report suspected ADRs.
In some cases, there...
Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Drug Excretion