Spotlight on Antenatal Corticosteroids for Preterm Respiratory Distress Syndrome

This fact sheet is part of a series on Demand Generation for 13 Life-Saving Commodities: A Synthesis of the Evidence.

Studies have found that the antenatal corticosteroid (ACS) injection for women at risk of preterm delivery is the most effective intervention to reduce the risk of Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) for preterm babies, and is the standard of care in most high-income countries—reducing neonatal mortality by 31 percent and moderate/severe RDS by 45 percent. Unfortunately, in middle- and low-income, high-burden countries, ACS coverage is only 10 percent.

As such, it has been identified by the UN Commission on Life-Saving Commodities for Women’s and Children’s Health as one of 13 commodities that if more widely accessed and properly used, could save the lives of more than six million women and children worldwide.

[Download] Spotlight on Antenatal Corticosteroids for Preterm Respiratory Distress Syndrome

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