Newswise — New discoveries and innovations in obstetric pharmacology will be highlighted November 1-2, 2018 during “Obstetric-Fetal Pharmacology: Practical Prescribing and Research Methods Update,” a conference for researchers and clinicians to be held at Northwestern University in Chicago.
The conference has been organized by the three National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Obstetric-Fetal Pharmacology Research Centers: Northwestern University, the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Texas Medical Branch. The program will provide new data and research from internationally recognized experts on a variety of pharmacological issues related to pregnancy – ranging from efficacy and safety of drugs to research methods and trends in drug development and regulation.
The lack of data to support prescribing medications for pregnant women safely and effectively has resulted in these women being relegated to “pharmaceutical orphans.” Many factors influence pharmacology during pregnancy, ranging from increased cardiac output to changes in the activity of drug metabolizing enzymes. However, little is known about the effects on drugs that are necessary for the health and well-being of pregnant women and their fetuses.
Conference organizers have structured the program to address the pressing need for expanded research and understanding in this critical area of pharmacology, with the work of national obstetric-fetal researchers across the translational spectrum to be featured.
Posters and presentations will be tailored toward both clinical and research-oriented audiences, and conference content is being organized to encourage collaboration, networking and sharing of information.
Among the topics to be presented will be:
• Principles of obstetrical pharmacology, pharmacogenetics, the role of drug transporters and the placenta in fetal exposure and protection, and lactation pharmacology
• Overview of ongoing national studies by the Obstetric-Fetal Pharmacology Research Centers
• Trends in fetal programming and pharmacoepidemiology
• Updates from the U.S. Task Force on Research Specific to Pregnant and Lactating Women (PRGLAC) and from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on pregnancy labeling and its Investigational New Drug (IND) program
• New developments in research and prescribing guidelines and pharmacokinetic research designs
• Targeted research-design topics, ranging from lactation and infant studies to placental transport methodologies
Conference participants will include obstetricians, maternal-fetal-medicine specialists; physicians and nurses who prescribe for child-bearing women (particularly primary care practitioners, family and internal medicine specialists and psychiatrists); clinical and basic science-focused pharmacologists, pharmacists, pharmaco- geneticists and epidemiologists; and industry-based pharmacology experts. Trainees in all fields related to pharmacology are encouraged to participate in a poster session.
The conference will be held at Northwestern University’s Prentice Women’s Hospital in downtown Chicago. It has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ for physicians and contact hours for nurses.
Funding for the conference has been provided by the PhRMA Foundation and Dr. and Mrs. Arthur J. Atkinson, Jr.
“Nowhere in medicine is the need for individualization of drug treatment as crucial as during pregnancy – that is, the personalization of the care with consideration of pregnancy physiology and the woman’s capacity to provide sustenance for the growing fetus,” said Katherine L. Wisner, MD, MS, Norman and Helen Asher Professor of Psychiatry and Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern. “However, due to ethical, medicolegal, and fetal safety concerns, women have been excluded from much-needed studies in this area.”
“Our conference is dedicated to addressing this issue by bringing clinicians, basic and translational investigators together to communicate information about current projects and study designs and to coalesce teams to pursue urgently needed research,” she said. “By combining the resources of leading national research centers on this important topic, we are confident we can help advance innovation and collaboration to foster safer and more effective pharmacological approaches during pregnancy.”
To register, please visit https://oprc.societyconference.com/v2/.
For more information, please call Barbara Sutcliffe at 312 695-8441.
About the PhRMA Foundation
The mission of the PhRMA Foundation is to support young scientists in disciplines important to the pharmaceutical industry by awarding them competitive research fellowships and grants at a critical decision point at the outset of their careers. For more than 50 years, the Foundation has been helping to build a larger pool of highly-trained, top-quality scientists to help meet the growing needs of scientific and academic institutions, government, and the research-intensive pharmaceutical industry. Since its founding, it has distributed more than $86 million to support scientific research. To learn more, please visit www.phrmafoundation.org.
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