Drug may help foetuses exposed to alcohol

A NEW drug could hold the key to reversing the effects suffered by foetuses who are exposed to alcohol during pregnancy.

Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) affects large numbers of babies born to women who drink while pregnant. At present there are no effective treatments that can prevent or reverse the affects of FAS after a foetus has been exposed.

But, according to PLoS Medicine, a journal published by the Public Library of Science, researchers are using mice to show that nicotinamide, a drug used in patients with autoimmune diseases could protect against alcohol exposure.