Is Interferon Gamma-1b 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 Interferon Gamma-1b. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
Interferon gamma is a normal component of human milk. No data are available on the use of exogenous interferon gamma 1b during breastfeeding. However, the amounts of the similar drugs, interferon alfa and interferon beta-1a, excreted into milk are very low. Any interferon in breastmilk is probably destroyed in the infant's gastrointestinal tract and not absorbed, except perhaps in neonates.
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
Maternal Levels. Measurements of the colostrum 6 mothers of preterm infants found an average of 2 ng/L of interferon gamma; two mothers of full-term infants had an average of 2.2 ng/L. At over 30 days postpartum, milk of 3 mothers of preterm infants contained 2.6 ng/L of interferon gamma; the milk of 28 mothers of full-term infants contained an average of 0.7 ng/L.[1]
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 Interferon Gamma-1b 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 “Interferon Gamma-1b” (LM580). 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.