Group seeks to enhance testing of therapeutics used by pregnant women and nursing mothers
The Task Force on Research Specific to Pregnant Women and Lactating Women (PRGLAC), established in 2016 by the 21st Century Cures Act, will host a webinar on Wednesday, May 22, 2019. The session will kick off phase II of the task force with details about the structure and goals of the group, whose charter was extended to March 2021 by the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). The group aims to provide advice and guidance to the HHS Secretary on implementing the recommendations outlined in PRGLAC’s September 2018 report (PDF 7 MB).
Diana W. Bianchi, M.D., director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), who is now the chair of the task force, will lead the meeting. The webinar is open to the public and scheduled for 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. ET. The event password is NICHD.
PRGLAC includes a wide range of federal health agencies, professional societies, patient organizations, and representatives from the pharmaceutical industry. The full task force is scheduled to meet twice a year to discuss the following:
- Design of research studies that include pregnant women and nursing mothers, as appropriate
- Strategies for expanding the workforce of clinicians and researchers with expertise in obstetric and lactation pharmacology and therapeutics
- Guidance on removing regulatory barriers that prohibit pregnant women and nursing mothers from participating in research