New research suggests that extended-release Nifedipine may be used to treat severe preeclampsia (very high blood pressure) in pregnant women throughout labor and delivery.

110 pregnant women, who were at least 22 weeks along with severe preeclampsia, were diagnosed in the trial, which ran from June 2020 to April 2022. A 30 mg Nifedipine extended-release pill was given to half of the participants randomly to take every day until birth, whereas a placebo pill was given to the other half of the subjects.

According to the study, 34% of the women using Nifedipine needed acute hypertension therapy (immediate blood pressure decrease) compared to 55.1% of the women in the placebo group. Women who took Nifedipine underwent few cesarean deliveries. Further, it was observed that the rate of newborn babies being admitted to the NICU among Nifedipine-treated mothers was much fewer as compared to the placebo group (29.1% vs. 47.1% in the placebo group)

Nifedipine-treated women had a lower risk of developing dangerously high blood pressure that required treatment with quick-acting drugs, such as intravenous (IV) treatments. The researchers plan to conduct large-scale studies to determine whether these differences are real.

(Source: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20221003/Extended-release-nifedipine-could-help-treat-women-with-severe-preeclampsia-during-labor-and-delivery.aspx)