Neuraminidase inhibitors during pregnancy and adverse birth outcomes: A meta-analysis

Neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) are commonly used to treat influenza and are also considered the potential treatment for COVID-19. The association of using NAIs during pregnancy with the risk of adverse birth defects has been investigated repeatedly by epidemiological studies;however, results are largely inconsistent. We herein performed this meta-analysis to investigate the true association of NAIs with adverse birth defects, including preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW), and small for gestational age (SGA). A systematic search was performed through PubMed, Scopus, and Embase to indentify all pertinent studies;The ORs with their corresponding 95% CIs were extracted or calculated. Heterogeneity was assessed using the Cochran Q test and the I2 statistic. A random-effect model was used for this meta-analysis due to existing heterogeneity. Overall, eight studies were included in our analysis, meta-analysis using a random-effect model showed that NAIs during pregnancy reduced the risk of LBW (OR=0.78, 95% CI=0.66–0.91) and SGA (OR=0.76, 95% CI=0.67– 0.86) but is not associated with PTB (OR=1.01, 95% CI=0.87–1.16). Results of the present study suggested that NAIs during pregnancy are safe and may reduce the risk of LBW and SGA. However, further studies from different ethnic populations are warranted to confirm our results. © 2021 by the authors.