Press Releases
MONROVIA, Calif. Jun. 12, 2012 – Prolacta Bioscience applauds the revised policy statement recently released by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), recommending that all preterm infants receive human milk, whether their mother’s own milk or pasteurized donor breast milk. The policy statement is the first released by the AAP in six years and reaffirms their recommendation for exclusive breastfeeding of all babies for the first six months of life. Additionally, the statement points to a reduction in odds of extremely preterm infants (those born weighing 500-1250 g) developing the often-fatal disease necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), when fed an exclusively human milk diet.
The AAP’s revised policy statement is noteworthy, given the fact that the number of premature births in the United States is growing. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than a half-million babies in the United States (one in eight) are born prematurely each year.1 Prematurity occurs in infants who are born at less than 37 weeks of gestation, and it is the leading cause of death among newborn babies.
“The revised policy statement underscores the undeniable fact that human milk-based nutrition is best for preterm infants,” said Scott Elster, CEO of Prolacta Bioscience. “As we pioneer and advance the science of human milk, we expect growing demand by healthcare providers and consumers alike for human milk-based nutritional products in the NICU.”
Prolacta makes the only human milk fortifier (HMF) made exclusively from 100% human milk, as opposed to cow milk, for critically ill, premature infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). This product, Prolact+ H2MF®, is prescribed by neonatologists for extremely premature infants (those weighing two pounds 12 ounces or 1250 grams or less at birth). It is concentrated breast milk that is added to the mother’s breast milk or to donor milk (if mother’s breast milk is unavailable), in order to meet the specific nutritional needs of the preemie. Prolact+ H2MF can only be administered in a hospital setting by prescription and cannot be purchased directly by consumers.
The growing use of human milk-based products in NICUs throughout the U.S. has largely been due to clinical data pointing to the benefits of exclusive human milk nutrition over cow milk-based nutrition for extremely premature infants. The Journal of Pediatrics published one of these studies in 2010. It concluded that when Prolact+ H2MF was added to human milk, the odds of developing the dangerous intestinal condition NEC was reduced by 77% in premature infants weighing between 500g and 1250g at birth, when compared to infants receiving human milk fortified with cow milk-based HMF, or compared to preterm infant formula when the supply or mother’s own milk was insufficient. Prolact+ H2MF is the only HMF that has been clinically proven to reduce the odds of developing NEC in infants born weighing between 500g and 1250g.
About Prolacta Bioscience
Prolacta Bioscience, Inc. (http://www.prolacta.com) is a life science company dedicated to improving quality of life by Advancing the Science of Human Milk Prolacta creates specialty formulations made exclusively from human milk for the nutritional needs of critically ill, premature infants in neonatal intensive care units. It is the first and only company to provide a human milk fortifier made from 100% human milk, Prolact+ H2MF. They operate a pharmaceutical grade processing plant and have designed and patented processes that enable them to make their one-of-a-kind life-saving products. Prolacta is committed to making a meaningful difference in the lives of the most vulnerable infants through world-class research and innovative products.
Media Contact:
Loren Kosmont loren@pstrategies.net 310-721-9444