Firm to look into drug’s effects

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32861, 9 March 1972, Page 3

Firm to look into drug’s effects

(N.Z P.A.-Reuter—Copyright) BASLE, March 8.

i The Swiss pharmaceutical firm, CIBAGeigy, says there will be a “re-examination of the facts” about the antidepressant, imipramine.

An Australian gynaecologist, Dr W. Mcßride, has said that the drug causes limb deformities in babies. The firm said that even if ;the drug were prescribed to a woman during pregnancy, the likelihood of its having teratogenic (deforming) effects was felt to be extremely slight. However, as with many potent drugs, this could not : be ruled out completely. The firm, which has mariketed imipramine under the

brand name Tofranil for more than 10 years, reiterated that the drug was available only on prescription and that the containers carried a leaflet warning that it should not be prescribed to pregnant women. In Washington, the Food and Drug Administration says it will continue to allow imipramine to be prescribed until there is definite information on claims that it causes deformities. But Dr Mcßride said in Sydney last night that he would ask the Australian Drug Evaluation Committee to investigate not only imipramine . but all tricycle anti-depressants and their posable effects on pregnancies. ' “There is only-a nitrogen atom separating imipramine ■from the other tricyclics” he i said. w-.'. ' sst