Prolacta celebrates advancements in neonatal care during Prematurity Awareness Month

Progress for Premature Infants Spans From NICU Feeding Practices to Health Policy

DUARTE, Calif., November 12, 2024 – In recognition of Prematurity Awareness Month, Prolacta Bioscience^®

is spotlighting the progress made in advancing premature infant care and parental choice in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Prematurity Awareness Month is celebrated every November to educate and raise awareness about maternal health and the risks associated with premature birth.

Each year in the U.S., more than 380,000 babies are born prematurely, with nearly 50,000 of them weighing 3.3 lbs (1,500 g) or less.¹ These tiniest infants face the highest risk of serious complications,² with Black infants experiencing 50% higher preterm rates and nearly double the mortality rate of other groups.³

Fortunately, advancements in neonatal nutrition have enabled infants born as early as 22 weeks gestation to not just survive, but to thrive. Adoption of human milk-based fortifiers and formulas instead of the cow milk-based alternative is transforming feeding practices in the NICU. This year alone, Prolacta’s human milk-based nutritional products have been used in over 50% of Level III and IV NICUs in the U.S. for the smallest infants, including safety net hospitals supporting underserved communities.⁴

A recent meta-analysis, "Association of Fortification With Human Milk Versus Bovine Milk-Based Fortifiers on Short-Term Outcomes in Preterm Infants," found a 50% reduction in mortality among preterm infants fed human milk-based nutritional fortifiers, versus cow milk-based fortifiers.⁵

“For the tiniest of premature infants, human milk-based fortifiers have proven crucial for improved short- and long-term health outcomes,” said Melinda Elliott, MD, FAAP, practicing neonatologist and chief medical officer at Prolacta. “Across the country, clinicians and parents are seeing infants come home sooner and healthier.”

Understanding “Human Milk Fortifiers” in the NICU

Because premature infants require 20% to 40% more calories and protein than full-term infants,⁶ a fortifier is added to mother’s own milk or donor breast milk to provide preemies with the nutritional support needed for their survival, growth, and development.

There are two kinds of “human milk fortifier” (HMF): cow milk-based and human milk-based (from donor breast milk). Both play an important role in meeting the nutritional needs of preemies during their stay in the NICU. However, in the smallest preemies, those born weighing 1,250 grams or less, cow milk-based fortifiers are known to increase the risk of complications, including necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a life-threatening intestinal disease.^7,8,9

This is why leading advocates for premature infants and their families, such as the National Black Nurses Association (NBNA), Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), NICU Parent Network (NPN), Project NICU, and Once Upon a Preemie Inc. (OUAP), support the adoption of human milk-based nutrition in the NICU.

Currently, seven states have passed laws mandating coverage of human milk-based products to better address the nutritional needs of premature infants. Most recently, New York and Massachusetts expanded access and insurance coverage for donor human milk and human milk-based fortifiers.

“The growing support for an Exclusive Human Milk Diet reflects a deeper understanding of human milk’s critical importance for medically fragile infants,” noted Dr. Elliott.

For more information about human milk-based nutrition, visit theparent education page on Prolacta.com.

About Prolacta Bioscience

Prolacta Bioscience^® is a global life sciences company dedicated to Advancing the Science of Human Milk^® to improve health outcomes for critically ill and premature infants. More than 100,000 extremely premature infants worldwide¹⁰ have benefited from Prolacta's human milk-based products, which have been evaluated in more than 30 peer-reviewed clinical studies. Operating the world’s first pharmaceutical-grade human milk processing facilities, Prolacta maintains the industry’s strictest quality and safety standards, with over 20 validated tests for screening and testing human milk. Prolacta's manufacturing process uses vat pasteurization to ensure pathogen inactivation while protecting nutritional composition and bioactivity. Connect with us at X, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Media Contact:
Loren Kosmont
Lkosmont@prolacta.com
310.721.9444

References

1. Osterman MJK, Hamilton BE, Martin JA, Driscoll AK, Valenzuela CP. Births: Final data for 2022. National Vital Statistics Reports; vol 73, no 2. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2024. doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc:145588
2. Alganabi M, Lee C, Bindi E, Li B, Pierro A. Recent advances in understanding necrotizing enterocolitis. F1000Res. 2019 Jan 25;8:F1000 Faculty Rev-107. doi: 10.12688/f1000research.17228.1. PMID: 30740215; PMCID: PMC6348433.
3. Mortality and Morbidity. March of Dimes. Updated February 2024. Accessed August 19, 2024. https://www.marchofdimes.org/peristats/data?reg=99&top=6&stop=94&lev=1&slev=1&obj=1&dv=ms 
4. Data on file; number of U.S. hospitals that used Prolacta's fortifiers and formulas in 2024.
5. Galis R, Trif P, Mudura D, Mazela J, Daly MC, Kramer BW, Diggikar S. Association of fortification with human milk versus bovine milk-based fortifiers on short-term outcomes in preterm infants—a meta-analysis. Nutrients. 2024;16:910. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/nu16060910
6. Hair AB, Bergner EM, Lee ML, et al. Premature infants 750-1,250 g birth weight supplemented with a novel human milk-derived cream are discharged sooner. Breastfeed Med. 2016;11(3):133-137. doi:10.1089/bfm.2015.0166
7. Hair AB, Peluso AM, Hawthorne KM, et al. Beyond necrotizing enterocolitis prevention: improving outcomes with an exclusive human milk-based diet [published correction appears in Breastfeed Med. 2017 Dec;12 (10):663]. Breastfeed Med. 2016;11(2):70-74. doi:10.1089/bfm.2015.0134
8. Assad M, Elliott MJ, Abraham JH. Decreased cost and improved feeding tolerance in VLBW infants fed an exclusive human milk diet. J Perinatol. 2016;36(3):216-220. doi:10.1038/jp.2015.168
9. Sullivan S, Schanler RJ, Kim JH, et al. An exclusively human milk-based diet is associated with a lower rate of necrotizing enterocolitis than a diet of human milk and bovine milk-based products. J Pediatr. 2010;156(4):562-7.e1. doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2009.10.040
10. Data on file; estimated number of premature infants fed Prolacta's products from January 2007 to August 2023.