Drugs and Birth Defects: a knowledge database providing risk assessments based on national health registers.

purposeTo present concept, methods and use of a knowledge database providing assessments of potential fetal risks for all drugs on the Swedish market.

methodsAssessments of fetal risks are made primarily by analyzing prospective epidemiological data from the Swedish Medical Birth Register on drug intake in relation to birth outcome. This is complemented by evaluation of the scientific literature. Following standardized working procedures, a statement is compiled for each substance, which is also classified into one of three categories depending on the estimated risk level. The final documents include drug product names on the market, via linkage to a medicinal products register. The information is free and published on the website www.janusinfo.se . It can also be used as an integrated part of electronic health records.

resultsThe database covers assessments of fetal risks for close to 1,250 medicinal drug substances on the Swedish market. Each year, 96,000 searches are made, which might be compared to the around 100,000 children born in Sweden yearly. Apart from the Swedish Physicians' Desk Reference (Fass), the database is the most commonly used resource among specialists within gynaecology and perinatal medicine for information on drugs during pregnancy.

conclusionsA non-commercial knowledge base with assessments of fetal risk of different drugs is valued by health care professionals and is used extensively in Sweden. Based on analyses of national health registers, the database provides unique information on teratogenic drug risks.