Biosearch : European patent granted to Biosearch Life for the use of probiotics for the treatment of mastitis

Biosearch Life, Biotechnology Company, focused on providing innovative solutions at global level, has been granted the European Patent nº EP2162143 'Mammalian milk microorganisms, compositions containing them and their use for the treatment of mastitis', published by the European Patents Office (EPO) in its newsletter last September and recently validated in twenty one countries.

This patent, with priority date 31st of May 2007, focuses on a new approach for preventing and treating mastitis. This treatment can be applied both to humans and animals, through the use of microorganisms derived from the breast milk obtained from healthy hosts from approved species.

Mastitis is an inflammation and infection of the mammary gland which is particularly frequent in women during the lactation period. It is mainly caused by the proliferation of potentially pathogenic species, fundamentally staphylococcus and/or streptococcus in the mammary conduits.

Up until now, treatments have been targeted towards alleviating the symptoms of pain by the use of anti-inflammatory drugs or, to reduce the bacterial charge through the use of antibiotics. An alternative focus on the treatment of mastitis is the use of certain probiotic strains which, not only have they been shown to reduce the bacterial charge in breast milk, but also to reduce the symptoms of pain associated with this. Therefore, the treatment with probiotic strains originating from breast milk offers an effective treatment for mastitis and chest pain during lactation, through keeping the flora balanced in the mammary gland, furthermore, they are also able to prevent the problem even before it appears, assisting a natural lactation process.

This invention is based on the unexpected and surprising finding that breast milk probiotic strains are capable of being transferred to the mammary gland after oral intake, and that they exert a therapeutic effect against the pathogens which cause mastitis, thereby helping to reduce its incidence. Moreover, these strains also have a number of unexpected and additional benefits, making them useful in the treatment of other diseases.

This patent has enabled BiosearchLife to launch the first probiotic for the treatment and prevention of mastitis, which is already sold in over 12 countries. Therefore, BiosearchLife is further consolidated as a leading biotechnology company in its firm and constant commitment to innovation and in the search for improving women's health.