To assist pharmacists in identifying the increasing number of products that are currently the subject of a Pregnancy Prevention Programme (PPP), we have added a ‘flag’ to each of these products that are the subject of a PPP or have additional Educational Materials that provide advice on pregnancy prevention, including for example Epilim, Topamax, Roaccutane, Thalidomide and Cellcept.
A PPP consists of a set of measures to provide comprehensive information about the potential risks to an unborn baby if exposed to the medicine and recommendations to prevent pregnancy including recommendations on the use of effective contraception and pregnancy testing before starting a medicine, and during treatment. They may also involve regularly reviewing patients on longer-term treatment to make sure the medicine is still the best treatment option, especially if the patient may or plans to become pregnant. It is important to note that even if a medicine does not have a PPP or additional educational materials, it can still pose a risk to an unborn baby, so it is important to always refer to the product information for advice on the use of a medicine during pregnancy.
This information is now available through the IPU Product File Automatic Download, if you are unable to see this new flag, please contact your system vendor for assistance.
