So, this is getting really complicated.
Let's start with the product. Preterm babies who are in the NICU often need "human milk fortifier" in addition to breastmilk, to increase the intake of certain nutrients. You might think that something called "human milk fortifier" is made of human milk, but it's actually made from cow's milk. You English teachers can tell me if this is a case of a misplaced modifier. These fortifiers are currently sold by formula makers, such as Mead Johnson, and Abbot.
Recently a company called Prolacta Bioscience began making a fortifier that is actually made from human milk. Prolacta processes donated milk to create a fortifier to use with NICU babies in addition to their own mothers' milk. Prolacta's website points to a recent study (pdf) showing improved outcomes for babies who receive the human milk fortifier, compared to those who received the non-human milk fortifier.
Prolacta is a for-profit company. Women who donate milk processed by Prolacta, or to any milk bank for that matter, are not paid for their milk. Some donors are recruited through the International Breastmilk Project (IBMP), a non-profit which is best known for sending breastmilk to AIDS orphans in South Africa. According to the IBMP, 25% of milk they receive is sent abroad, and 75% of the milk remains in the U.S. to be made into Prolacta's human milk fortifier. Prolacta makes a donation to the IBMP for every ounce donated, and processes and sells the fortifier. According to the IBMP website, donor mothers are "required to check a box saying that they understood that 75% of donated milk would remain with Prolacta for critically-ill infants in the U.S." I don't know if they are informed that the fortifier is made by a for-profit company. More questions and answers about this partnership are on the IBMP website.
So, the recent news is that Abbot Nutrition, a formula company, will be adding the Prolacta fortifier (made with human milk) to their line of products, and will be selling it to NICUs across the country. The Prolacta website states that this will make their human milk fortifier more available to hospitals and their patients. It's fair to assume that Abbot will also profit by having this product in their line. As far as I know, this is the first time a formula company has sold a human milk product.
So, aside from a comment about grammar, I've tried very had to stick to the facts here. Now you tell me what you think of all this.
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