Ustekinumab is a medication used for the treatment of plaque psoriasis. The medication is injected subcutaneously. The drug has been placed in pregnancy category B by the Food and Drug Administration, but researchers from the Aristotle University Medical School in Greece believe there could be a connection between the drug and spontaneous abortion.

The report, published in the Journal of Dermatological Case Reports, describes a single patient who suffered spontaneous abortion while on ustekinumab. The patient was 35 years old and a smoker; this was her third pregnancy. While researchers noted smoking and third pregnancy as possible risk factors for spontaneous abortion, they believe there could be a connection between the psoriasis medication and the spontaneous abortion at 12 weeks gestation.

Conclusion: Further study into possible spontaneous abortion while on ustekinumab therapy may be warranted. This report was extremely limited due to the involvement of just one patient.

Source: Fotiadou C, Lazaridou E, Sotiriou E, Ioannides D. Spontaneous abortion during ustekinumab therapy. J Dermatol Case Rep. 2012 Dec 31;6(4):105-7. doi: 10.3315/jdcr.2012.1116.

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