Prolacta Bioscience® Supports Prematurity Awareness Month with New Educational Resources for Parents of Preemies

Prolacta's new infographic on Human Milk Fortifier (HMF) highlights why the term "Human Milk Fortifier" can be misleading. It is a generic term for any nutritional supplement added to human breast milk to provide preemies with added calories, protein and nutrients. Many mistakenly assume that if a product is labeled "Human Milk Fortifier," it must be made from human milk. This is not the case. All commercial HMFs are made with cow milk, with the exception of Prolact+ H²MF®, the only HMF made exclusively from 100 percent human milk.

The infographic highlights data showing that, as the amount of cow milk fortifier in a premature infant's diet increases, so does the incidence of several serious complications, including necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a leading cause of death among preterm babies⁵. For every 10 percent increase in the volume of cow milk consumed by extremely premature infants⁴: 

• the risk of NEC increases by 11.8 percent,
• the risk of surgical NEC increases by 20.6 percent, and
• the risk of sepsis increases by 17.9 percent.

Video Documents a Family's Journey through Prematurity and Success with Prolacta's 100 Percent Human Milk-Based Fortifier

Prolacta is also releasing a new testimonial video documenting the emotional journey of Cynthia and Ian Lau, both physicians, after the premature birth of their daughter, Lucy. Delivered at 23 weeks gestation in a remote part of Canada, Lucy was flown from Churchill, Manitoba, to the closest NICU two hours away.

In the NICU, Lucy's care team talked to her parents about fortifying Cynthia's breast milk with a commonly-used product called "Human Milk Fortifier," derived from bovine or cow milk protein. "When I started discussing with one of the nurses about her thoughts on this, she mentioned Prolacta's fortifier made with human milk as an alternative," Cynthia said. "I was absolutely excited and fascinated that Prolacta offered a concentrated human breast milk product."

The Lau family advocated for Prolacta's 100 percent human milk-based fortifier instead of one made with cow milk, and Lucy was given Prolact+ H²MF®. She is now a healthy, active toddler, who loves to eat and is on the right growth trajectory, according to her parents.

"Nutrition is one of the most critical factors in healthy child development, but this is especially true for babies like Lucy, born extremely premature," said Scott Elster, president and CEO of Prolacta. "We're proud to support Prematurity Awareness Month by sharing the Laus' story and offering resources to help educate parents about the health benefits of human milk fortifier made with 100 percent human milk."

When used as part of an exclusive human milk diet (EHMD)¹, Prolacta's neonatal nutritional products are clinically proven to improve health outcomes^{2, 3, 4} and reduce hospital costs^{5, 6} for critically ill, extremely premature infants weighing between 500-1,250g (1 lb 1 oz to 2 lbs 12 oz) at birth, in the NICU, as compared to cow milk-based fortifier or cow milk-based preterm formula.

About Prolacta Bioscience

Prolacta Bioscience, Inc. is a privately-held life sciences company dedicated to Advancing the Science of Human Milk^®. The company pioneered the development of human milk-based neonatal nutritional products to meet the needs of critically ill, premature infants in the NICU. Prolacta leads the industry in the quality and safety of nutritional products made from donor breast milk and operates the first and only pharmaceutical-grade manufacturing facility for the processing of human breast milk.

www.prolacta.com

¹ An EHMD is when 100% of the protein, fat and carbohydrates in an infant's intake are derived solely from human milk.

² Sullivan S, 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. The Journal of Pediatrics. April 2010. 156(4):562-567. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2009.10.040. The randomized study of 207 infants weighing 500-1,250g compared the benefits of an exclusive human milk diet with a diet of both human milk-based and cow milk-based products.

³ Cristofalo EA, et al. Randomized Trial of Exclusive Human Milk versus Preterm Formula Diets in Extremely Premature Infants. The Journal of Pediatrics. December 2013. 163(6):1592-1595.doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2013.07.011. The multicenter randomized controlled study examined 53 extremely premature infants weighing 500-1250g who were fed either a bovine milk-based preterm formula or an exclusive human milk diet, comparing the duration of parenteral nutrition, growth and morbidity.

⁴ Abrams SA, et al. Greater Mortality and Morbidity in Extremely Preterm Infants Fed a Diet Containing Cow Milk Protein Products. Breastfeeding Medicine. June 2014. 9(6): 281-0285. doi:10.1089/bfm.2014.0024. This cohort study included 260 extremely preterm infants born weighing less than 1,250g who received a diet that ranged from 100% cow milk to 100% human milk.

⁵ Ganapathy V, et al. Costs of Necrotizing Enterocolitis and Cost-Effectiveness of Exclusively Human Milk-Based Products in Feeding Extremely Premature Infants. Breastfeeding Medicine. February 2012. 7(1):29-37. doi: 10.1089/bfm.2011.0002. This cost-effectiveness analysis of 2,560 extremely premature infants less than 28 weeks gestational age in 257 hospitals nationwide, comparing the impact of an exclusive human milk diet composed of mother's milk fortified with a human milk-based fortifier versus mother's milk fortified with cow milk-based fortifier.

⁶ Assad M, et al. Decreased Cost and Improved Feeding Tolerance in VLBW Infants Fed an Exclusive Human Milk Diet. Journal of Perinatology. March 2016. 36:216-220. doi: 10.1038/jp.2015.168. The study retrospectively looked at 293 preterm infants between gestational ages of 23 to 34 weeks and birth weights between 490-1,700g in the Level III NICU. The study compared the clinical and financial impacts between infants that were fed an exclusive human milk diet; cow milk-based fortifier and maternal milk; mixed combination of maternal milk, cow milk-based fortifier and cow milk-based formula; and formula between March 2009 and March 2014.

SOURCE Prolacta Bioscience

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