Obstetric & Lactation

Carbetocin is a synthetic long-acting oxytocin analog used for the prevention of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) following cesarean section and vaginal delivery. Developed with specific structural modifications including 1-deamination and C-terminal substitution, carbetocin exhibits a significantly prolonged half-life of 85-100 minutes compared to oxytocin's 3.5 minutes, allowing administration as a single bolus injection rather than continuous infusion. The heat-stable formulation maintains stability for 36 months at 30°C and 75% relative humidity, eliminating cold-chain storage requirements critical for resource-limited settings. Carbetocin was added to the WHO Model List of Essential Medicines in 2019 and is approved in over 90 countries, though not currently FDA-approved in the United States.