An inexpensive and widely available drug could save the lives of one in three mothers who would otherwise bleed to death after childbirth, a study published in The Lancet has revealed.
According to the 2013 Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey report, Nigeria has a maternal mortality rate of 576 deaths per every 100,000 live births. a) In 2015, there were an estimated 58,000 maternal deaths in the country, and post-partum haemorrhage was the single biggest cause.
A statement from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine said more than 5,700 women from 52 hospitals in Nigeria took part in the global trial, which included 20,000 women in 21 countries, mainly in Africa and Asia, but also in the UK and elsewhere.
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The drug, called tranexamic acid (TXA), works by stopping blood clots from breaking down. The study found that death due to bleeding was reduced by 31% if the treatment was given within three hours. The findings also show it reduced the need for urgent surgery to control bleeding (laparotomy) by more than a third (36%). Severe bleeding after childbirth known as post-partum haemorrhage or PPH is the leading cause of maternal death worldwide. More than 100,000 women globally die each year from the condition, but this clot-stabilising drug has the potential to reduce the number substantially.
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine coordinated the study, which is called The WOMAN (World Maternal Antifibrinolytic) Trial. It was funded by The Wellcome Trust and UK Department of Health through the Health Innovation Challenge Fund, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Professor Bukola Fawole, Nigeria Trial Coordinator and Consultant Obstetrician at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, said: “Heavy bleeding after childbirth is a major problem in Nigeria so I am very excited by the results of the WOMAN Trial. We have been crying out for something to help save mothers’ lives and tranexamic acid could make a big difference. It is a straightforward treatment so there is no need for expensive equipment or surgery, which is not available to the majority of women in our country.”
Tranexamic acid was invented in the 1960s by a Japanese husband and wife research team, Shosuke and Utako Okamoto.
By: Ojoma Akor
Daily Trust News
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