Baxter launches NUMETA emulsion for infusion in Europe

Baxter International Inc. (NYSE:BAX) announced today the European launch of NUMETA (emulsion for infusion). NUMETA was introduced at the 22^nd Annual European Society of Pediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care (ESPNIC) Medical and Nursing Annual Congress in Hanover, Germany, as the first and only triple-chamber system with formulations specifically designed to meet the range of intravenous (IV) nutritional requirements of neonatal and pediatric patients (preterm newborns through age 18). This premix therapy addresses an important unmet medical need to support neonatal and pediatric patients' changing daily nutritional needs with ready-to-use IV nutrition.

Many preterm infants rely on IV nutrition, also known as parenteral nutrition (PN), at birth to meet all or part of their daily nutritional requirements. Unlike adults, children have a need for growth, which puts them at a particularly high risk of malnutrition because of higher nutritional demands. Acute malnutrition affects almost 25 percent of children admitted to local hospitals, with consequences that include impaired tissue function, suppressed immune systems, defective muscle function and reduced respiratory and cardiac reserve (or capacity).

This ready-to-use nutrition system provides neonatal and pediatric patients with a balanced formulation of amino acids (protein), glucose (carbohydrates), lipids (fats) and electrolytes in a triple-chamber container. NUMETA is designed according to the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN)-European Society for Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism (ESPEN) Guidelines for Pediatric Parenteral Nutrition to provide well-balanced nutrition that supports the growth of a majority of neonatal and pediatric patients. The ingredients are provided in separate compartments and can be mixed and administered at the point of care, reducing the possible risk of medication errors and contamination (associated with, for example, compounding), while simplifying the prescription and delivery of parenteral nutrition.

"Parenteral nutrition provides important nutritional support for pediatric patients, allowing for survival and growth in various clinical situations, such as extremely low birth weight infants. There has been an unmet need for a triple-chamber system that offers stability and simplicity advantages over current alternatives of prescribing and preparing parenteral nutrition," said Jacques Rigo, M.D., Ph.D., head of the department of Pediatrics/Neonatal Unit at the University of Liège in Belgium. "As a well-balanced, ready-to-use formulation, this triple-chamber system may reduce incidences of nutrient deficiencies, excesses and omissions sometimes seen in the prescribing community."

"The availability of NUMETA builds on Baxter's history of innovative delivery technology designed to address patients' specific medical needs - in this case, the needs of some of the most medically vulnerable," said Scott Luce, Baxter's Global Franchise Head for Specialty Pharmaceuticals. "NUMETA is a particularly valuable addition to Baxter's nutrition portfolio as an effective, ready-to-use parenteral nutrition system focused on infants and children."