
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SATURDAY, March 14, 1992                   TAG: 9203140142
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-12   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Los Angeles Times
DATELINE: WASHINGTON                                LENGTH: Short

FDA: DRUG CAN HARM OR KILL FETUS

The Food and Drug Administration warned Friday that the use by pregnant women of a commonly prescribed class of drugs to treat high blood pressure can seriously harm or even kill a developing fetus.

The agency decided not to ban the drug because it is valuable for many patients, and its risks are unique to pregnant women, FDA Commissioner David Kessler said.

At the FDA's request, the six pharmaceutical companies that manufacture the 13 drugs will alert physicians by letter that use of so-called angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors, or ACE inhibitors, during the second or third trimester of pregnancy can result in face, skull and limb deformities, lung problems, kidney failure and even fetal death.

An estimated 6 million Americans take ACE inhibitors. Of these, about 5 percent are women under 40, according to Merck & Co. Inc., which makes five of the drugs. The company also said that about 5.5 million women in the United States between 18 and 44 suffer from high blood pressure.

by CNB