[Centre de référence sur les agents tératogènes (CRAT): a pioneer center]

Le Centre de référence sur les agents tératogènes (CRAT), founded in 1975, is the first national and international public organization especially involved in the problem of drugs during pregnancy, and during this period of time has been responsible for many initiatives in this field: health care providers information and counsel service, innovating risk assessment methodology, new method for clinical data collection leading to a database including more than 50 000 exposed pregnancies, innovative free access internet website (http://www.lecrat.org), multidisciplinary expert group in French medicines agencies (Afssaps/ANSM) and foundation of a European network "European network teratology information service" (ENTIS). All these innovations represent consequent advances and contribute to a better management of exposed pregnant women and their newborns, as well as the survey and signal detection during pregnancy. The CRAT is also involved in the field of drugs on fertility and on paternal exposures.