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Extremely premature babies, often as light as a pound and a half, and as small as an adult hand, are among the most vulnerable patients in any hospital. Thanks to advances in modern medicine, however, these babies are more likely than ever to survive. Even those born as early as 25 weeks gestational age—three months premature—have a better than even chance of survival and most are able to live normal, healthy lives. These children, though, need immediate and intensive care.
New to the world and desperate for nourishment, very premature babies are often whisked away shortly after birth and rushed to a neonatal intensive care unit where doctors, neonatologists, and committed nurses embark on an around-the-clock effort to save the child's life.
It is a heart-wrenching experience for any family.
Parents can be separated for hours at a time from their newborns. Anemia, sepsis, and apnea are just some of the conditions that threaten a premature child's fragile life. And babies sometimes need blood transfusions, breathing tubes, and other serious procedures.
The good news is that new equipment and treatments are improving the rates of survival among premature babies and giving hope for those born even as early as 22 weeks—a gestational age that years ago would have almost certainly resulted in death.
Neonatologists and other committed medical personnel are saving lives every day. Science, always evolving, is delivering more hope for babies born earlier in pregnancy.
While a mother's breast milk is preferable when feeding a newborn, for a myriad of reasons delivering the milk to the child may not be possible. So, often, core to the treatment in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) is the option of specialized, nutrient-dense formula, and fortified breast milk. Such formula and fortifier, which is used to enhance natural breast milk, is a critical part of the standard of care.
Nutrient-dense formula and breast milk fortifiers are a lifeline for many premature babies, and it is critical that doctors continue to have the option available for their premature patients struggling for sustenance.
However, a recent bout of lawsuits targets the few companies that make specialized formulas. While the FDA considers the formulas safe, and NICU doctors consider them essential for the health and vitality of at-risk babies, the litigation threatens the viability of the entire sector, and could deprive premature babies of a life-saving product.
The infant-formula industry is already in a precarious position as several manufacturers have left the market. In 2022, Nestlé sold its Gateway Eau Claire, Wis., plant, along with the U.S. and Canadian rights to the Good Start® infant formula brand. Mead Johnson's parent company, Reckitt Benckiser Group PLC, is also exploring a sale of the entire infant nutrition business.
Given the urgent need to ensure appropriate nutrition for premature babies in NICUs across the country, it would be a terrible consequence if companies were forced out of the formula and human milk fortifier business, nullifying the medical advancements that allow significantly premature babies to live.
Richard Carmona, MD, MPH, FACS, was the 17th surgeon general of the United States and currently serves as a distinguished laureate professor at the University of Arizona.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
