english.prescrire.org > Spotlight > Archives : 2011 > In the March issue of Prescrire International: Selected reports from the 31st French Pharmacovigilance Meeting

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In the March issue of Prescrire International:
Selected reports from the 31st French Pharmacovigilance Meeting

FREE DOWNLOAD The 31st French Pharmacovigilance Meeting took place in March 2010 in Bordeaux. Among the reports presented, the results of a French study on  Inhibition of lactation, revealing the risks associated with dopamine agonists.
Prescrire's review of one such report is available for free download.

Each year the annual French pharmacovigilance conference examines adverse events reported to regional pharmacovigilance centres by healthcare professionals, as well as the French pharmacovigilance database. Several  presentations with important practical implications were  selected for publication in the March issue of Prescrire International.

These presentations highlight the importance of reporting adverse effects, and their analysis by pharmacovigilance centres independent of the pharmaceutical industry, in providing transparent, high-quality information that serves patients’ best interests. 

Summary of one selected report : dopamine agonists to inhibit lactation 

  • A survey conducted in Lyon, France, shows that many women are prescribed drugs, especially bromocriptine, to inhibit lactation.
  • The authors highlight the high risk of severe and sometimes life-threatening adverse effects, especially cardiovascular and neurological disorders. 
  • The absence of breastfeeding, without any other measures, is rarely associated with serious complications.
  • Paracetamol and non-drug measures are generally sufficient to relieve pain (experienced by 40% of women) and breast inflammation (10%).
  • Dopamine agonists have little place in the inhibition of lactation, especially when their adverse effects in this setting are taken into account.

©Prescrire 1 March 2011

"31st French Pharmacovigilance Meeting. Inhibition of lactation: risks associated with dopamine agonists"  Prescrire Int 2011; 20 (114): 69. (Pdf, free)
Download the full review