Heat-stable carbetocin has been added to the WHO Essential Medicines List for the prevention of excessive bleeding after childbirth
Heat-stable carbetocin has been added to the WHO Essential Medicines List of uterotonics for the prevention of excessive bleeding after childbirth
Excessive bleeding after birth, also known as postpartum haemorrhage (PPH), is the leading direct cause of maternal mortality worldwide
WHO guidelines recommend heat-stable carbetocin for PPH prevention in settings where oxytocin is unavailable or its quality cannot be guaranteed, and where its cost is comparable to other effective uterotonics
Heat-stable carbetocin was developed by Ferring Pharmaceuticals to address limitations in refrigeration and cold-chain transport of medicines in low- and lower-middle income countries
Every year, 14 million women are affected by excessive bleeding after birth, also known as postpartum haemorrhage (PPH). Although most deaths are preventable, PPH is the leading direct cause of maternal death worldwide, causing approximately 70,000 deaths per year,2 99% of which occur in low- and lower-middle income countries.
“The WHO’s addition of heat-stable carbetocin to the Essential Medicines List brings us one step closer to tackling this life-threatening condition that impacts thousands of women and their families