Symbicort Turbuhaler Use In Pregnancy & Lactation

Pregnancy: For Symbicort or the concomitant treatment with formoterol and budesonide, no clinical data on exposed pregnancies are available. Data from an embryo-fetal development study in the rat, using the Symbicort pMDI formulation, showed no evidence of any additional effect from the combination or evidence of any effects attributable to the excipients on the rodent.
There are no adequate data from use of formoterol in pregnant women. In animal studies formoterol has caused adverse effects in reproduction studies at very high systemic exposure levels (see Pharmacology: Toxicology: Preclinical safety data under Actions).
Data in more than 17000 exposed pregnancies indicate no increased teratogenic risk associated with the use of inhaled budesonide. In animal studies glucocorticosteroids have been shown to induce malformations (see Pharmacology: Toxicology: Preclinical safety data under Actions). This is not likely to be relevant for humans given recommended doses.
Animal studies have also identified an involvement of excess prenatal glucocorticoids in increased risks for intrauterine growth retardation, adult cardiovascular disease and permanent changes in glucocorticoid receptor density, neurotransmitter turnover and behaviour at exposures below the teratogenic dose range.
During pregnancy, Symbicort should only be used when the benefits outweigh the potential risks. The lowest effective dose of budesonide needed to maintain adequate asthma control should be used.
Breast-feeding: A clinical pharmacology study has shown that inhaled budesonide is excreted in breast milk. However, budesonide was not detected in nursing infant blood samples. Based on pharmacokinetic parameters, the plasma concentration in the child is estimated to be less than 0.17% of the mother's plasma concentration. Consequently, no effects due to budesonide are anticipated in breast-fed children whose mothers are receiving therapeutic doses of Symbicort. It is not known whether formoterol passes into human breast milk. In rats, small amounts of formoterol have been detected in maternal milk. Administration of Symbicort to women who are breastfeeding should only be considered if the expected benefit to the mother is greater than any possible risk to the child.
Fertility: There is no data available on the potential effect of budesonide on fertility. Animal reproduction studies with formoterol have shown a somewhat reduced fertility in male rats at high systemic exposure (see Pharmacology: Toxicology: Preclinical safety data under Actions).