Is PEG-filgrastim Safe in Breastfeeding
Question
I am a breastfeeding mother and i want to know if it is safe to use PEG-filgrastim? Is PEG-filgrastim safe for nursing mother and child? Does PEG-filgrastim extracts into breast milk? Does PEG-filgrastim has any long term or short term side effects on infants? Can PEG-filgrastim influence milk supply or can PEG-filgrastim decrease milk supply in lactating mothers?
PEG-filgrastim lactation summary
- DrLact safety Score for PEG-filgrastim is 1 out of 8 which is considered Safe as per our analyses.
- A safety Score of 1 indicates that usage of PEG-filgrastim is mostly safe during lactation for breastfed baby.
- Our study of different scientific research also indicates that PEG-filgrastim does not cause any serious side effects in breastfeeding mothers.
- Most of scientific studies and research papers declaring usage of PEG-filgrastim safe in breastfeeding are based on normal dosage and may not hold true for higher dosage.
- Score calculated using the DrLact safety Version 1.2 model, this score ranges from 0 to 8 and measures overall safety of drug in lactation. Scores are primarily calculated using publicly available case studies, research papers, other scientific journals and publically available data.
Answer by Dr. Ru: About PEG-filgrastim usage in lactation
Non-glycosylated stimulating factor of granulocyte colonies (G-CSF) which is obtained by recombinant technology.The naturally occurring product is found in breast milk. A very high molecular weight explains the insignificant or no excretion into milk that has been observed both with Lenograstim and Filgrastim. Its low oral bioavailability hampers absorption into infant plasma from the breast milk ingested, as for their proteic nature it is degraded in the gastrointestinal tract, not being absorbed. Filgrastim is not absorbed by the infant's gut even during the neonatal period or prematurity. The granulocyte colony-stimulating factor has been used in premature newborns, both on prevention and treatment of neonatal sepsis and/or necrotizing enterocolitis without adverse effects being observed among treated infants. The bovine G-CSF is found in the usual diet of meat eaters.