Is Filgotinib safe while breastfeeding?
Here is what LactMed, the Drugs and Lactation Database published by the U.S. National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), reports about Filgotinib. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Filgotinib is not approved in the US by the Food and Drug Administration. No information is available on the clinical use of filgotinib during breastfeeding. The European manufacturer and an expert opinion recommend that breastfeeding be discontinued during filgotinib therapy.[1-3]
Effects on the breastfed infant
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Effects on milk supply
Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Levels in milk
Filgotinib is primarily metabolized to GS-829845, an active metabolite that has about 10% the activity of filgotinib.
Maternal Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
Infant Levels. Relevant published information was not found as of the revision date.
“No published information” means the studies do not exist yet — not that Filgotinib is known to be harmful, and not that it is known to be safe. Your prescriber or pharmacist can weigh your baby's age and whether a better-studied alternative would do the same job. Worth asking before stopping a medicine you need.
Source: Drugs and Lactation Database (LactMed), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), via NCBI Bookshelf, record “Filgotinib” (filgotinib). LactMed on NCBI Bookshelf. LactMed is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Educational summary of an authoritative source — not medical advice. Never start, stop, or change a medicine while breastfeeding without confirming with your doctor.