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Loratadine, a widely prescribed second-generation antihistamine, now is available over-the-counter in the U.S. Thus, many women presumably will use the drug during pregnancy. In this study from the Israeli Teratogen Information Service, researchers compared outcomes for 210 pregnancies with loratadine exposure, 267 pregnancies with exposure to other antihistamines (e.g., astemizole [no longer available in the U.S.], chlorpheniramine), and 929 controls (with exposures that were known not to be teratogenic).
The rates of major congenital anomalies were similar in the 3 groups: 2.3% for loratadine exposures, 4% for other antihistamine exposures, and 3% for controls. When the analysis was limited to first-trimester exposures (about 70% of the ov…