BioGaia: It's Possible to Prevent Colic in Healthy Infants

Regulatory News:

BioGaia (STO:BIOG-B):

A study of 468 healthy newborns shows that infants given the probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri Protectis cried less than half as long as infants given a placebo. The infants given Lactobacillus reuteri Protectis also had significantly fewer daily regurgitations and were less constipated compared to infants in the placebo group. As a result, the use of Lactobacillus reuteri Protectis proved to be cost saving for both parents and the community.

"This is the first study proving prophylactic use of a specific strain (L. reuteri Protectis) in a condition like functional gastrointestinal disorders (colic, regurgitation and constipation). Moreover this is also the first evaluation of the cost/benefit for a probiotic therapy in infants and it shows that L. reuteri Protectis is valuable for the family and for the society,” says Doctor Flavia Indrio, MD, Department of Paediatrics, University of Bari, Italy.

Less crying, less constipation, less regurgitation…

Intervention started the first days of life. After one month’s use of Lactobacillus reuteri Protectis drops the infants cried less than half as long per day as the infants given placebo, 45 minutes compared to 96 minutes. The significant difference between the groups persisted to the end of the three months’ intervention.

The infants in the Lactobacillus reuteri Protectis group also had a better gut motility, leading to significantly more daily evacuations and less regurgitation compared to infants in the placebo group.

…means less costs for family and community

Not only could colic, regurgitation and constipation cause the baby pain. These conditions often lead to numerous visits to the paediatrician and also hospitalisation and use of drugs, as well as anxiety and loss of working days for the parents. Only by calculating the direct costs, the investigators concluded that use of Lactobacillus reuteri Protectis saved each family 88 euro. In addition to this the community saved 104 euro per child.

"This study is ground breaking as it shows that BioGaia’s product should be given to all babies from birth. Not only does it reduce suffering in babies and parents, but it also saves the families and the society costs. This study will be immensely important for the further development of BioGaia’s baby segment,” says Peter Rothschild, President BioGaia.

The study was published in the highly regarded medical journal JAMA Pediatrics on 13 January 2014 (http://archpedi.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1812293). More information on colic, constipation, regurgitation (http://www.biogaia.com/sites/biogaia.com/files/Press-material-BioGaia_131030.pdf), study details (http://www.biogaia.com/sites/biogaia.com/files/Indrio_2014_Study_facts.pdf) and an interview with Dr Indrio (http://youtu.be/LxX4EesCXXc) is found through attached links.

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BioGaia has published this information in accordance with the Swedish Securities Market Act. The information was issued for publication on 14 January 2014, 08:00 am CET.

BioGaia is a healthcare company that develops, markets and sells probiotic products with documented health benefits. The products are primarily based on the lactic acid bacterium Lactobacillus reuteri, which has probiotic, health-enhancing effects. The class B share of the Parent Company BioGaia AB is quoted on the Mid Cap list of the NASDAQ OMX Nordic Exchange Stockholm. www.biogaia.com

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