Digibind, a drug which is presently prescribed to patients suffering from complications of the heart, can prove useful to provide relief to expecting mothers with severe preeclampsia.

The drug is presently being evaluated for efficacy by researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

From News-Medical.Net:

“Preeclampsia is the No. 1 killer of pregnant women in the world, and there is no cure except delivery,” said Dr. George Saade, chief of maternal–fetal medicine at UTMB. “When it is severe and occurs early in the pregnancy, delivery in order to protect the mother results in a premature baby. That’s why this study is important, because if the medication works, then we can protect the mom while allowing the baby to grow and develop without delivering early.”

The clinical trial will test whether Digibind reverses or prevents the abnormalities that occur with preeclampsia and allows the fetus to remain in the womb longer. This would give doctors more time to administer steroids to prevent respiratory complications in premature births and reduce the need for costly and lengthy neonatal intensive care.

The study has critical implications for treating preeclampsia and the importance of this study is evident from the fact that there are no presently available options for providing relief to patients with the complication, according to Dr. Nicole Ruddock, the study’s principal investigator and an instructor in UTMB’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.