Atosiban as a tocolytic for the treatment of spontaneous preterm labor

Preterm birth is the major cause of perinatal mortality and morbidity in the developed world, imposing a huge burden on healthcare costs. Tocolytic drugs inhibit contractions and delay delivery in the hope of improving survival and preventing handicap. Historically, most tocolytics were not initially developed to treat preterm labor, and so are not uterospecific and have multiorgan side effects. Atosiban (Tractocile®) is a vasopressin-oxytocin receptor antagonist, which is much more uterospecific than previous tocolytics, and, consequently has placebo-level side effects. Atosiban has a strong evidence base and is a significant addition to the treatment options for preterm labor and should be used for first-line therapy.