WALTHAM, Mass., June 9, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AMAG Pharmaceuticals, a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced that its maternal health division has launched a patient education initiative focused on raising awareness about preterm birth and the importance of bringing a pregnancy to full term, or 40 weeks. Supporting women in achieving full-term pregnancy is a critical priority for the maternal and child health community. The Growth You Can't See (GrowthYouCantSee.com) will complement current efforts underway to help women learn about the risk factors for preterm birth, the growth and development a baby undergoes during the final weeks of pregnancy, and the symptoms of preterm labor.
Every year in the United States approximately 450,000 babies—or one in every nine—are born too early.¹ "The best thing for your baby is to give him or her the time to grow and develop in the womb," says Judette Louis, MD, MPH from University of South Florida Health, and a Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist, who cares for women with high-risk pregnancies. "During the last weeks of a full-term pregnancy, major organs, like the brain and lungs, are still developing."
Bringing a pregnancy to full term is important for a baby's short- and long-term health. For example, around week 35, a baby's brain is only two-thirds the size of a full-term baby's brain, and a baby may have trouble breathing if born early because lungs continue to develop until the end of pregnancy.² Similarly, hearing is not fully developed until full term, and a baby may not have enough body fat to keep temperature steady until week 37.²,³,⁴
"After experiencing the stress of delivering my first baby preterm, I knew how important it was to strive for full term with my second pregnancy," says Toiya Tillman, a recent mother of two. "Babies need every week of pregnancy to grow and develop, and I think it's important for women to have the information they need to talk with their doctor about their risk for preterm birth."
Information on the risk factors associated with preterm birth and the signs and symptoms of preterm labor can be found at the website, GrowthYouCantSee.com. Pregnant women will also be able to download a risk factors checklist to facilitate discussion with their doctors about how to lower their risk of preterm birth and achieve full-term pregnancies.
A free toolkit of informational materials is also available at GrowthYouCantSee.com for healthcare providers and health organizations. These materials include:
- A patient brochure on preterm birth;
- A poster highlighting the growth and development of a baby during the final weeks of pregnancy; and
- An educational video
Materials are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, and Russian and can be ordered at no cost for displaying in offices and sharing with patients.
"We recognize the emotional, physical and financial burden that prematurity can cause families," said Robert Kaper, M.D., senior vice president, medical and scientific affairs, at AMAG Pharmaceuticals. "We believe The Growth You Can't See initiative will help provide education to patients and the medical community about the importance of full-term birth, building on and complementing ongoing public health outreach to decrease the prematurity rate and promote healthy pregnancies. This educational initiative reinforces our Company's commitment to reducing preterm birth rates in the U.S."
For more information on The Growth You Can't See or to download and order materials, visit GrowthYouCantSee.com.
About AMAG
AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is a specialty pharmaceutical company with a focus on maternal health, anemia and cancer supportive care. The primary goal of AMAG is to bring to market therapies that provide clear benefits and improve patients' lives. In addition to continuing to pursue opportunities to make new advancements in patients' health and to enhance treatment accessibility, AMAG intends to continue to expand and diversify its portfolio through the in-license or purchase of additional pharmaceutical products or companies. For additional company information, please visit www.amagpharma.com.
Forward Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking information about AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. Any statements contained herein which do not describe historical facts, including, among others, AMAG's belief that The Growth You Can't See initiative will provide education to patients and the medical community and its potential effects on prematurity rates and healthy pregnancies are forward-looking statements which involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in such forward-looking statements.
Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, AMAG's ability to successfully implement Makena's lifecycle management program, including to effectively respond to the FDA's complete response letter by, among other things, providing the additional information requested by the FDA regarding manufacturing procedures and methods used to control the microbiological production environment and the sterilization of production equipment; the impact of AMAG's response to the FDA's request that AMAG consider changing the color combination on the container label and carton labelling; AMAG's ability to implement the commercial launch of the new single-dose vials of Makena, including on the anticipated timeline; the impact of perceptions related to pricing and access on Makena's commercial success and growth prospects; AMAG's ability to have Makena manufactured in sufficient quantities and at acceptable costs to meet commercial demand and clinical development needs and such other risks identified in AMAG's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including its Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2014 and subsequent filings with the SEC. Any of these risks and uncertainties could materially and adversely affect AMAG's results of operations, its profitability and its cash flows, which would, in turn, have a significant and adverse impact on AMAG's stock price. AMAG cautions you not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they are made.
AMAG disclaims any obligation to publicly update or revise any such statements to reflect any change in expectations or in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements may be based, or that may affect the likelihood that actual results will differ from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.
AMAG Pharmaceuticals® is a registered trademark of AMAG Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Lumara Health™ and Makena® are trademarks of Lumara Health IP Ltd.
1. March of Dimes. Peristats. Available at: http://www.marchofdimes.com/Peristats/ViewSubtopic.aspx?reg=99&top=3&stop=60&lev=1&slev=1&obj=1. January 2014. Accessed April 16, 2015.
2. Engle WA, Tomashek KM, Wallman C. Late-preterm infants: a population at risk. Pediatrics. 2007;120:1390-1401.
3. Committee on Environmental Health. Noise: a hazard for the fetus and newborn. Pediatrics. 1997;100:724-727.
4. Cleaveland K. Feeding challenges in the late preterm infant. Neonatal Netw. 2010;29:37-41.