Medela Enters Exclusive Enteral Feeding Pump Agreement with Atlanta Biomedical Company

MCHENRY, Ill., Sept. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Medela announced today that it has reached a five-year agreement with Atlanta Biomedical Company (ABC), assigning Medela as the exclusive distributor of the ABC Enteral Feeding Pump (Model 4100), now known as the Medela Enteral Feeding Pump. Through this agreement, Medela will be in a better position to help NICU parents and healthcare professionals by offering a comprehensive set of products and programs.

The Medela Enteral Feeding Pump is integral to the delivery of human milk to at-risk infants. Enteral feeding products are an important resource to support nutrition in premature infants and low-birth weight babies in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs). Enteral feeding allows the delivery of a nutritionally prescribed feed to at-risk infants who experience breastfeeding challenges due to a range of health issues, including a lack of muscles and coordination to nurse, and low or not-yet-established milk supply among mothers who gave birth prematurely. One in eight babies in the United States is born prematurely. Premature babies, born before 37 completed weeks of gestation, are at risk for both moderate and severe health problems, as well as lifelong disabilities.¹

"We know that every drop of human milk counts for at-risk infants," said Carolin Archibald, president of Medela. "Medela is committed to providing tools and other resources to support the entire human milk feeding continuum. With this collaboration, Medela further extends our support to improve the health of premature and low-birth weight infants."

In addition to a full line of leading-edge enteral feeding products, which was augmented in May with its acquisition of the enteral feeding assets of Acacia, Inc., Medela offers a specialized breastpump as part of its comprehensive NICU product platform. The Symphony® Preemie+™ pump uses a unique burst/pause pattern clinically shown to help mothers of premature infants initiate milk flow as it mimics baby's first sucking pattern after birth. In a randomized control trial the Preemie+ intervention provided mothers an average of 67% more milk by day 7 compared to a standard pump pattern².

About Medela
The Medela family company, headquartered in the Canton of Zug, Switzerland, was founded by Olle Larsson in 1961. Medela concentrates on two business units: "Breastfeeding," with fundamental research that is recognized globally and leading in the development and manufacture of breastfeeding products, and "Healthcare,"engineering and manufacturing highly innovative medical vacuum technology solutions. Medela has 18 subsidiaries in Europe, North America and Asia, distributes its products in over 90 countries, and employs 1,500 staff worldwide.

¹ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Premature Birth. http://www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/MaternalInfantHealth/PretermBirth.htm. Accessed August 14, 2014.

² J Perinatol. Vol.31, online version released 2011 "Breast Pump Suction Patterns that Mimic the Human Infant During Breastfeeding: Greater Milk Output in Less Time Spent Pumping for Breast Pump-Dependent Mothers with Premature Infants" Meier, PP., Engstron, JL, Janes JE, Jegier, BJ, Loera, F.

SOURCE Medela