Researchers at UC San Diego School of Medicine have received a $6.1 million grant to launch a new Center of Excellence in Therapeutics to study the effects of medications on human milk and infant health.According to the researchers, more than 70% of breastfeeding women take some form of medication, but 90% of those medications are not appropriately labeled for pregnant or lactating women. This means the drugs are taken “off-label” or without Food and Drug Administration approval, largely because they have never been tested in this population. Even less is known about whether these drugs enter the mother's breast milk or are safe for the baby to consume that way.Initial studies at the UCSD center will focus on antibiotics. Antibiotics are some of the most frequently used medicat
