filgrastim injections & breastfeeding

[viliang]

Hello, I am starting filgrastim injections in two weeks for a bone marrow donation through pbsc. My local LLL advised me to ask here if it's possible to nurse during that time. I was told from the hospital to stop nursing. Thank you a lot for your time!!!

[admin]

Viliang:

Filgrastim is a large peptide that stimulates bone marrow production. It is not orally bioavailable, and because of its size, it would likely not enter milk as well, or in clinically relevant amounts.

I'd suggest it is probably safe for you to breastfeed while receiving this preparation.

Tom Hale Ph.D.




Filgrastim is a large molecular weight biosynthetic protein used to stimulate neutrophil production. It is more commonly called granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF).[1] There are no data on its entry into human milk, but due to its large molecular weight (18,800 daltons) it is extremely remote that any would enter milk. Following use, the plasma levels in most individuals are often undetectable or in the picogram range. Further, due to its protein structure, it would not likely be orally bioavailable to the infant.

T1/2 = 3.5 h
MW = 18,800