Women in their first trimester of pregnancy should not be exposed to the drug Sustiva (efavirenz), used in the treatment of HIV-1.  This medication has generated four reports of neural tube defects in women who took it during their first trimester, leading Bristol-Myers Squibb and the FDA to change the labeling from Category C to D.

Bristol-Myers Squibb and the FDA have announced a change of labeling for Sustiva in this announcement.  Women in their first trimester of pregnancy should avoid this medication because it may place their infants at risk for neural tube defects.