OTIS Asthma Medications in Pregnancy Project
The purpose of the OTIS Asthma Medications in Pregnancy Project was to investigate the effects of asthma and the treatment of asthma during pregnancy. The study was coordinated at the University of California, San Diego and was open for enrollment between 1998 and 2003. During this time, approximately 1100 women enrolled into the study. Several papers and abstracts have been published from this data and additional information continues to be published (see Publications). If you participated in this study and you have questions about your participation please contact the Study Manager toll-free: 1-877-311-8972.
Hurricane Katrina Project
The purpose of the Hurricane Katrina project was to address specific concerns for pregnant and breastfeeding women about the effects of certain exposures (such as infections, chemicals, medications, and stress) on their fetus or breastfed child. The Organization of Teratology Information Specialists (OTIS) and the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) partnered to provide information for women and health professionals about the effects of exposures on pregnancy and breastfeeding following the hurricanes of 2005. This project expanded on OTIS’s existing telephone counseling and fact sheets, which were created to address specific potential concerns regarding exposures following the hurricanes. In addition, the OTIS national toll-free telephone number was modified to accommodate questions regarding hurricane-related exposures and several strategies were used to publicize this number as a resource for obtaining hurricane-related exposure information related to pregnancy and breastfeeding. A description of OTIS’s response after the hurricanes, the challenges encountered in implementing the response, and lessons learned that might be useful to improve the response to the unique needs of this special population following any disaster or public health emergency have been published (see our Publication list).
Isotretinoin Survey
The iPLEDGE™ Risk-Management System is a pregnancy prevention program approved by the FDA in August 2005. Under this system, wholesalers, pharmacies, prescribers and patients all must agree to the requirements of the risk-management system in order to obtain isotretinoin. In the Isotretinoin Survey, OTIS explored the success of the iPLEDGE™ program by monitoring the calls its member services received from women who became pregnant while taking isotretinoin. The survey is now closed and the results of this study have now been published. For details of this and all published OTIS studies see our Publication list.
OTIS Vaccines in Pregnancy Pilot Project
The purpose of the OTIS Vaccines in Pregnancy Pilot Project was to work collaboratively with the Slone Epidemiology Center at Boston University to 1) demonstrate the feasibility of identifying exposures to vaccines in pregnancy, 2) determine the most effective and efficient method for identifying brand of vaccine administered during pregnancy, and 3) collect pregnancy outcome information on womens’ exposure to specific vaccines during pregnancy. This pilot project enrolled women between September 2006 through February 2008 and was coordinated at the University of California, San Diego. Preliminary results of this study were presented at the Teratology Society meeting in June 2008. Chambers CD, Johnson DL, Jones KL. Methods of Validating Exposure to Vaccines in Pregnancy: The OTIS Vaccines in Pregnancy Pilot Project. 2008. Birth Defects Research (Part A) 82: 341.