Atosiban and Managing Women in Preterm Labour

Lancet . 2025;405:955-957. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(25)00402-7. Preterm labor (PTL) is a significant cause of preterm birth (PTB) worldwide, which can cause substantial health challenges for neonates. Tocolysis can be used in some cases of PTL to delay birth. Recently, the use of tocolysis has been questioned to neonatal outcomes. A meta-analysis from 2022 investigated this topic, including findings from 122 individual trials. Their findings demonstrated that tocolysis does delay PTB, yet was unclear on the exact effect on neonates. However, due to the significant rates of PTL worldwide, the World Health Organization was quick to recommend tocolysis in such cases, based on the findings from that study, while also recognizing that additional studies are necessary to understand the effects on neonates. They noted that future studies would especially be helpful if placebo controls were included when assessing the effects of tocolysis on neonatal outcomes.