Prolacta Bioscience develops first human milk fortifier

20/01/06 Prolacta Bioscience, a privately held company dedicated to ensuring the availability and safety of donor breast milk for babies, has announced that it has developed a human milk fortifier product made from concentrated, pasteurized human donor milk.

The fortifier product, called Prolact-Plus, is an alternative to the current fortifier products made from cow’s milk and used in the neonatal intensive care units. “The advantage of a human-origin fortifier is that very low birth-weight babies will receive their own mother’s milk fortified with human milk protein and added minerals. When these babies are fed exclusively on human milk, they are protected against a variety of harmful pathogens because their digestive system maintains a protective environment. When they receive foreign proteins, like cow’s milk, some of this protection is lost,” said Elena Medo, Prolacta’s CEO.

Prolacta maintains that a mother’s own milk is always the best, but if supply falls short, parents can request that donor milk be provided. “Mothers of preterm babies express their breast milk so they can give their babies the best possible chance for survival. But babies born weighing less than 1,500 grams often need higher levels of protein and minerals than are normally found in mother’s milk. We’re pleased to be able to deliver such a valuable therapy to benefit these critically ill preterm babies.”

In August 2005, Prolacta completed construction of the world’s first and only large scale human milk processing facility. Using modern pharmaceutical processing techniques, Prolacta has developed improved methods for all aspects of human milk testing and handling. “Neonatologists and neonatal nurses have very high expectations for safety and quality. We’ve worked hard to develop a process and product they can trust.” All Prolacta products bear a nutritional label and undergo rigorous safety and quality testing by outside laboratories prior to release.

Prolacta Bioscience, headquartered in Monrovia, Calif., has developed improved methods for large-scale processing, formulation and testing of donor breast milk. The company received funding from DFJ/Frontier-Santa Barbara, Draper Associates-Menlo Park., Draper Richards-San Francisco, and the William K. Bowes, Jr. Foundation.

http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2006/1/emw335377.htm