Pediatrix Medical Group Announces Publication of New Research Addressing Urgent Questions in Neonatology

Research Was Conducted Utilizing the Proprietary Pediatrix Clinical Data Warehouse

Pediatrix® Medical Group, Inc. (NYSE:MD), a leading provider of physician services, today announced the publication of new research on probiotic use and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in preterm infants, addressing pressing questions about one of the most controversial issues in the field of neonatology. The research was conducted by clinicians affiliated with the Pediatrix Center for Research, Education, Quality and Safety in collaboration with the NEC Society, utilizing data from the Pediatrix Clinical Data Warehouse (CDW), one of the largest databases of neonatal outcomes in the world. Data from the Pediatrix CDW has been utilized in more than 250 peer-reviewed publications.

Published in the Journal of Perinatology, a large multicenter study of more than 10,000 extremely preterm infants found that rates of NEC, a serious and potentially life-threatening intestinal disease, rose in hospitals that sharply reduced probiotic use after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) 2023 warning actions and market withdrawal of probiotics commonly used in NICUs. Because of the low incidence of NEC, a large cohort is critical, particularly in a retrospective study of this kind, demonstrating the importance of the Pediatrix CDW, which may be the only database capable of answering research questions like this relatively quickly.

The article notes that the findings suggest that the rapid discontinuation of probiotics may have had unintended harmful consequences for this highly vulnerable neonatal population. At the same time, it emphasizes that the study was observational and did not identify which probiotic strains, doses or products might be most effective or safest. The results add to growing evidence that probiotics may help protect preterm infants from NEC, while underscoring the need for prospective clinical trials and clearer regulatory pathways for products intended for this population.

"These findings add important real-world evidence to the ongoing discussion about probiotic use in extremely preterm infants," said Veeral Tolia, M.D., lead author of the study and director, Clinical Data Warehouse Research. "While additional prospective studies are needed to define the safest and most effective approaches, our analysis suggests that abrupt changes in practice may have meaningful consequences for infants with the highest risk for NEC."

The NEC Society, the world's leading nonprofit dedicated to understanding and preventing NEC, collaborated on the research. This is the first study utilizing the CDW dataset to involve a nonprofit organization dedicated to integrating patient-families in research.

"It is essential for clinicians, scientists, regulators and families to collaborate and invest in science and strategies that protect infants from the devastation of NEC," said Jennifer Canvasser, MSW, fourth author of the study and founder of the NEC Society. "By partnering with Pediatrix CDW research, we can begin to illuminate urgent gaps in science to improve care so all babies can thrive."

Additional study authors include Monica M. Bennett, Ph.D., Darren Handler, Rachel G. Greenberg, M.D., Robert Ursprung, M.D., Kaashif A. Ahmad, M.D., and Ravi Patel, M.D., MSc.

About Pediatrix Medical Group

Pediatrix^® Medical Group, Inc. (NYSE:MD) is a leading provider of physician services. Pediatrix-affiliated clinicians are committed to providing coordinated, compassionate and clinically excellent services to women, babies and children across the continuum of care, both in hospital settings and office-based practices. Specialties include obstetrics, maternal-fetal medicine and neonatology complemented by multiple pediatric subspecialties. The group's high-quality, evidence-based care is bolstered by significant investments in research, education, quality-improvement and safety initiatives. The physician-led company was founded in 1979 as a single neonatology practice and today provides its highly specialized and often critical care services through approximately 4,300 affiliated physicians and other clinicians. To learn more about Pediatrix, visit www.pediatrix.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and the Pediatrix blog. Investment information can be found at www.pediatrix.com/investors.

About the NEC Society

The NEC Society is the world's leading nonprofit dedicated to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). The NEC Society brings together patient families, clinicians and scientists to advance NEC research, education and advocacy for a world without NEC.

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