USE OF ACEBUTOLOL IN PREGNANCY
Date of issue: November 2020, Version: 3

Acebutolol is a cardioselective beta blocker licensed for the treatment of hypertension, angina pectoris, cardiac dysrhythmia, and for early intervention in the acute phase of myocardial infarction.
There are no studies of rates of congenital malformation, miscarriage, stillbirth, or adverse neurodevelopmental effects following gestational exposure to acebutolol. Very limited data do not suggest that exposure to acebutolol in utero adversely affects fetal growth or gestational length. However, further studies are required to confirm these findings, particularly as reduced fetal growth has been observed following gestational exposure to other beta blockers.
Use of beta blockers near term may result in beta-adrenoceptor blockade, leading to neonatal bradycardia, hypotension and hypoglycaemia. However, the absolute risk of these neonatal complications in acebutolol-exposed infants remains unquantified. Assessment of the neonate for these effects is therefore advised.
Exposure to acebutolol at any stage of pregnancy would not usually be regarded as medical grounds for termination. In pregnancies complicated by maternal hypertension and/or where acebutolol has been administered, careful monitoring of fetal growth is advised. Other risk factors may also be present in individual cases which may independently increase the risk of adverse pregnancy outcome. Clinicians are reminded of the importance of considering such factors when performing case-specific risk assessments.
This is a summary of the full UKTIS monograph for health care professionals and should not be used in isolation. The full UKTIS monograph and access to any hyperlinked related documents is available to NHS health care professionals who are logged in.
If you have a patient with exposure to a drug or chemical and require assistance in making a patient-specific risk assessment, please telephone UKTIS on 0344 892 0909 to discuss the case with a teratology specialist.
If you would like to report a pregnancy to UKTIS please click here to download our pregnancy reporting form. Please encourage all women to complete an online reporting form.