Tuesday, June 3, 2008

patents regarding neonatal jaundice and breastfeeding


photo by Jessie McClain
Filed in 2001 is patent # 6627213 called, "Inhibition of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in breast fed infants." The inventors of this patent Glenn R. Gourley and Bill L Kreamer have written studies in Pediatrics on the use of various substances to lower bilirubin in breastfed infants. The patent is assigned to the Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation but the patent specifically mentions Nutramigen (Mead Johnson) as a particular formula of interest for this patent. The US Government has interests in this patent (so they get to make money off it too) Both Gourley and Kreamer received funding for their research through Mead Johnson. The L-aspartic acid they suggest will lower bilirubin is in all probability genetically engineered. This invention will of course have ramifications for mothers who plan to "exclusively" breastfeed their newborns. Rather fascinating how the infant formula industry can target breastfeeding for remedies...yes, yes...remember the golden role of choice in infant feeding: breastfeeding always is questionable and therefore the default of choice is infant formula or some kind of intervention so that breastfeeding can be fixed. Of course, industry just knows that fixing breastfeeding is the basis of infant formula sales. The world calls it choice....

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