Nursing mothers warned of codeine risk

Article

Following the death of a 13-day-old infant, the FDA has issued a public health advisory alerting mothers of the risk of taking codeine while breastfeeding.

Following the death of a 13-day-old infant, the FDA has issued a public health advisory alerting mothers of the risk of taking codeine while breastfeeding. According to the agency, ultra-rapid metabolizers of codeine have higher-than-normal blood levels of morphine following ingestion of codeine, which correlates with a higher breast milk level. Normally, only some codeine is metabolized to morphine. In response to the incident, the FDA will now require manufacturers of codeine to include information about ultra-rapid metabolizers in their prescribing information. The prevalence of ultra-rapid metabolizers ranges from one to 28 per 100 persons, depending on the population group. The only way to be certain that a patient is an ultra-rapid metabolizer is to perform a genetic test to determine CYP2D6 genotype.

To see more Hot off the Press news articles, click here.

To go to the Drug Topics homepage, click here.

Recent Videos
fake news misinformation | Image Credit: Bits and Splits - stock.adobe.com
© 2024 MJH Life Sciences

All rights reserved.