The association between exposure to interferon-beta during pregnancy and birth measurements in offspring of women with multiple sclerosis

PLoS One. 2019 Dec 30;14(12):e0227120. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227120. eCollection 2019.

Abstract

Background: Interferon-beta (IFN-beta) is a commonly used treatment for multiple sclerosis (MS). Current guidelines recommend cessation of treatment during pregnancy, however the results of past studies on the safety of prenatal exposure to IFN-beta have been conflicting. A large scale study of a population of MS women is therefore warranted.

Objectives: To assess whether, among those born to women with MS, infants prenatally exposed to IFN-beta show evidence of smaller size at birth relative to infants which were not prenatally exposed to any MS disease modifying drugs.

Methods: Swedish and Finnish register data was used. Births to women with MS in Sweden and Finland between 2005-2014 for which a birth measurement for weight, height, and head circumference was available were included. The exposure window was from 6 months prior to LMP to the end of pregnancy.

Results: In Sweden, 411 pregnancies were identified as exposed to IFN-beta during the exposure window, and 835 pregnancies were counted as unexposed to any MS DMD. The corresponding numbers for Finland were 232 and 331 respectively. Infants prenatally exposed to interferon-beta were on average 28 grams heavier (p = 0.17), 0.01 cm longer (p = 0.95), and had head circumferences 0.14 cm larger (p = 0.13) in Sweden. In Finland, infants were 50 grams lighter (p = 0.27), 0.02 cm shorter (p = 0.92) and had head circumferences 0.22 cm smaller (p = 0.15) relative to those unexposed.

Conclusions: This study provides evidence that exposure to IFN-beta during pregnancy does not influence birth weight, length, or head circumference.

Publication types

  • Observational Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Birth Weight / drug effects*
  • Body Height / drug effects*
  • Female
  • Finland
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Interferon-beta / adverse effects*
  • Maternal-Fetal Exchange
  • Multiple Sclerosis / drug therapy*
  • Multiple Sclerosis / immunology
  • Pregnancy
  • Pregnancy Complications / drug therapy*
  • Pregnancy Complications / immunology
  • Registries / statistics & numerical data
  • Sweden

Substances

  • Interferon-beta

Grants and funding

This study was funded by Bayer AG, Biogen Netherlands B.V., Merck KGaA, and Novartis Europharm Limited. YG is employed by Novartis Pharma AG, MS is employed by Merck group, CP is employed by Biogen and KSW is employed by Bayer AG. Novartis Pharma AG, Merck group, Biogen and Bayer AG provided support in the form of salaries for authors YG, MS, CP, and KSW. The funders were not involved in data collection or analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript beyond the contributions of these authors, however they were able to comment on study design in the initial stages of the project. The specific roles of the authors employed by the funders are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section. PV and PK are employed by EPID research. EPID research provided support in the form of salaries for authors PV and PK, and were involved in data collection and decision to publish, but were not involved in data analysis or manuscript preparation beyond the contributions of these authors. The specific roles of the authors are articulated in the ‘author contributions’ section.