L. Reuteri Protectis Reduced Gastrointestinal Symptoms and Hospital Stay in Premature Newborns

New Reuteri Study Published

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, May 10, 2010 - The study showed that infants supplemented with L. reuteri Protectis had
a significantly reduced number of gastrointestinal symptoms compared to those
supplemented with L. rhamnosus (LGG) and controls. Also duration of hospital
stay was significantly reduced by L. reuteri Protectis.

(Picture:
www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100510/389899 )

    - Our study clearly demonstrates the benefits of probiotics in preterms.
      Especially convincing were the results for L. reuteri, says Professor
      Mario Romeo, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, University of Catania,
      Italy.

Apart from positive results on gastrointestinal symptoms (p<0.05) and
hospital stay (p<0.0001), supplementation of L. reuteri Protectis also led to
a significant reduction in number of days of antibiotic treatment (p<0.05)
compared to the LGG and control groups.

    - The results are very interesting and we believe they will have an
      impact on the care of premature newborns, says Professor Romeo.

Study facts

In this prospective, randomized study 249 premature newborns were
consecutively assigned to either supplementation of Lactobacillus reuteri
Protectis (108 CFU/day), supplementation of Lactobacillus rhamnosus (=LGG,
6×109 CFU/day) or no supplementation. The probiotic supplementation started
within 72 hours of admittance to the neonatal intensive care unit and
continued for six weeks or until discharged. The objective of the study was
to evaluate the efficacy of probiotics in the prevention of gastrointestinal
colonisation of Candida species, of late-onset sepsis and neurological
outcome in preterm newborns. Read more about the study on:
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20410904

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

www.biogaia.com

Photo:
www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100510/389899

For additional information contact: Mario Romeo, Professor, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, University of Catania: mgromeo at unict.it; Eamonn Connolly, Senior Vice President Research, BioGaia: +46-8-555-293-00 or ec at biogaia.se