Bristol professor calls for wider use of £5 drug that can prevent cerebral palsy in premature babies

The correlation between the drug and the disorder was first noted in 2009

A University of Bristol professor is calling for a drug that prevents premature babies from developing cerebral palsy to be made widely available. The drug costs approximately £5 per dose and has been described as a "potential game changer."

The drug, magnesium sulphate, was first found to protect premature babies against cerebral palsy in 2009 and has been recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO) since 2015 for women at risk of premature birth. However, implementation of the drug remains a challenge.

Karen Luyt, Professor in Neonatal Medicine at the University of Bristol, said: “Preterm birth is the leading cause of brain injury and cerebral palsy with a lifelong impact on children and families.

"When the analysis was published in 2009, I realised that magnesium sulphate, given to mothers in preterm labour, was a potential game changer.

“I discovered in 2014 that this potentially life-altering treatment was not widely used in England, despite high level evidence that it is effective at protecting preterm babies from brain injury and subsequent cerebral palsy. Our goal was to give every eligible mother in preterm labour the choice to receive magnesium sulphate and for every preterm baby the chance to develop to their full potential."

Professor Luyt started implementing the drug in St Michael's Hospital under a programme called Prevention of Cerebral Palsy in Pre-Term Labour (PReCePT).

Elly Salisbury was one of the first women to receive the drug through the programme. She was offered the drug when pregnant with her son Cormac, who is now a healthy 11-year-old boy.

“It fills me with pride and joy that all mothers in my situation across England are offered magnesium sulphate thanks to the PReCePT programme,” said Elly.

“Behind every infusion of magnesium sulphate is a little boy or girl, just like Cormac, and a family just like ours. Every family deserves the chance to be given this drug, wherever they are in the world."

Following the successful spread of the programme to all five trusts in the West of England, the Health Innovation Network has now rolled it out to all NHS maternity units in England. Between 2018 and 2023, magnesium sulphate was given to 14,270 eligible women across the country, resulting in an estimated 385 fewer cases of cerebral palsy.