Metaglip and Pregnancy

Based on animal studies of Metaglip and pregnancy, the FDA has classified it as a pregnancy Category C medication, which means it may not be safe to take while pregnant. Although one component of Metaglip (metformin) did not cause problems in pregnant rats or rabbits, the other component (glipizide) was mildly toxic to fetal rats. If you are taking Metaglip and pregnancy occurs, your healthcare provider will weigh the benefits and risks before making a recommendation.

Metaglip Drug Info

An Overview of Metaglip and Pregnancy

Metaglip^® (glipizide and metformin) may not be safe to take during pregnancy. This is based on animal studies that looked at the effects of Metaglip during pregnancy.

Metaglip and Pregnancy Category C

The U.

S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses a category system to classify the possible risks to a fetus when a specific medicine is taken during pregnancy. Pregnancy Category C is given to medicines that have not been studied in pregnant humans, but that do appear to cause harm to the fetus in animal studies. Also, medicines that have not been studied in any pregnant women or animals are automatically given a pregnancy Category C rating.

Glipizide (one of the components of Metaglip) has been shown to cause problems in pregnant animals. When given to pregnant rats at very high doses, glipizide was mildly toxic to the fetal rats. Metformin (the other component of Metaglip) did not cause any problems in pregnant rats or rabbits.

However, it is important to note that animals do not always respond to medicines in the same way that humans do. Therefore, a pregnancy Category C medicine may be given to a pregnant woman if the healthcare provider believes that the benefits to the mother outweigh any possible risks to the unborn child.

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