Is Palivizumab 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 Palivizumab. The text below is quoted from that source — it is not our own verdict.
Summary of use during breastfeeding
No information is available on the clinical use of palivizumab during breastfeeding. Because palivizumab is a large protein molecule with a molecular weight of about 148,000 Da, the amount in milk is likely to be very low.[1] Palivizumab appears to be degraded in the infant’s gastrointestinal tract by about 20% after 1 hour and up to 36% at 2 hours in one study and 50 to 62% in others.[2-5] Normal maternal milk antibodies against respiratory syncytial virus are not degraded under the same conditions.[2] Absorption of the undigested antibodies by the infant is probably minimal.[6]
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. 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 Palivizumab 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 “Palivizumab” (LM1030). 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.