The focus of this seminar is on prescription smoking cessation pharmacotherapies, which include nicotine replacement therapy patches, varenicline and bupropion. I will present data on the number of Australian women who use these medicines during pregnancy, and our findings regarding the risk of adverse birth outcomes associated with the use of each of these medicines during pregnancy. I will also show how nicotine replacement therapy patches and varenicline compare in terms of effectiveness when used during pregnancy. We addressed these research questions using linked routinely collected data, with all pregnancies resulting in birth in NSW and WA between 2003 and 2012 included in the study.
About the speaker
Dr Alys Havard is a Senior Research Fellow, with a joint appointment at the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre and the Centre for Big Data Research in Health, both at the University of New South Wales (UNSW). She is supported by a NSW Health Early-Mid Career Fellowship. Her research uses linked routinely collected data to improve our understanding of how prescription medicines are used at a population-level, and their safety and effectiveness in real world settings. She has a particular interest in medicines used to treat substance use disorders, and in the outcomes of medicines when used during pregnancy.