Atosiban and nifedipine are two common drugs used in the management of preterm birth. These drugs are used to delay the pregnancy so that antenatal corticosteroids can be administered to improve the fetal condition. There has been an ongoing debate about the choice of the drug. This article provides a synopsis of a study published in The Lancet. Atosiban is a vasopressin and oxytocin inhibitor.
The drug is used as a tocolytic agent to halt premature labour and to allow better fetal outcomes. Similarly, nifedipine is also frequently used as a tocolytic agent. Clinicians sometimes may feel confused about the choice between these two drugs. The recent study published in a renowned international journal The Lancet suggests that both these drugs are similarly potent in their action and have a similar degree of side-effects. The team of doctors and scientists from the Netherlands, conducted a…
