This sheet is about exposure to deucravacitinib in pregnancy and while breastfeeding. This information is based on published research studies. It should not take the place of medical care and advice from your healthcare provider.
What is deucravacitinib?
Deucravacitinib is a medication that has been approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis. A brand name for deucravacitinib is Sotyktu®. MotherToBaby has a fact sheet on psoriasis & psoriatic arthritis at: https://mothertobaby.org/fact-sheets/psoriasis-and-pregnancy/.
Sometimes when people find out they are pregnant, they think about changing how they take their medication, or stopping their medication altogether. However, it is important to talk with your healthcare providers before making any changes to how you take your medication. Your healthcare providers can talk with you about the benefits of treating your condition and the risks of untreated illness during pregnancy.
I take deucravacitinib. Can it make it harder for me to get pregnant?
Studies have not been done to see if deucravacitinib can make it harder to get pregnant.
Does taking deucravacitinib increase the chance of miscarriage?
Miscarriage is common and can occur in any pregnancy for many different reasons. Studies have not been done to see if deucravacitinib can increase the chance of miscarriage.
Does taking deucravacitinib increase the chance of birth defects?
Birth defects can happen in any pregnancy for different reasons. Out of all babies born each year, about 3 out of 100 (3%) will have a birth defect. We look at research studies to try to understand if an exposure, like deucravacitinib, might increase the chance of birth defects in a pregnancy.
Human pregnancy studies have not been done to see if deucravacitinib can increase the chance of birth defects. Experimental animal studies done by the manufacturer did not find an increased chance of birth defects.
Does taking deucravacitinib in pregnancy increase the chance of other pregnancy-related problems?
It is not known if deucravacitinib can increase the chance of other pregnancy-related problems such as preterm delivery (birth before week 37) or low birth weight (weighing less than 5 pounds, 8 ounces [2500 grams] at birth).
Does taking deucravacitinib in pregnancy affect future behavior or learning for the child?
Studies have not been done to see if deucravacitinib can increase the chance of behavior or learning issues for the child.
Can my baby receive live vaccines before one year of age if I take deucravacitinib while pregnant?
Since deucravacitinib might suppress the immune system of the person taking it, there is a theoretical (not proven) concern that the same thing could happen to the baby if they are exposed during pregnancy. If someone has a weakened immune system, they might be more likely to develop an infection from a “live” vaccine. Live vaccines contain a small amount of live virus. In the United States, rotavirus is the only live vaccine routinely given in the first year of life. Inactivated vaccines do not contain live virus, so they cannot cause the disease they protect against. Most people can get inactivated vaccines in the first year of life.
Talk with your child’s healthcare provider about your exposure to deucravacitinib during pregnancy. They can talk with you about the vaccines your child should receive and the best time for your child to receive them.
Breastfeeding while taking deucravacitinib:
Deucravacitinib has not been studied for use while breastfeeding. Be sure to talk to your healthcare provider about all your breastfeeding questions.
If a man takes deucravacitinib, could it affect fertility or increase the chance of birth defects?
Studies have not been done to see if deucravacitinib could affect men’s fertility (ability to get a partner pregnant) or increase the chance of birth defects. In general, exposures that fathers or sperm donors have are unlikely to increase the risks to a pregnancy. For more information, please see the MotherToBaby fact sheet Paternal Exposures at https://mothertobaby.org/fact-sheets/paternal-exposures-pregnancy/.
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