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The safety and efficacy of a locally available probiotic in premature infants.

A randomised placebo controlled pilot trial on the safety and efficacy of a probiotic product in reducing all case mortality and definite necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm very low birthweight neonates.

Status
Completed
Phases
Phase 2
Study type
Interventional
Source
ANZCTR
Registry ID
ACTRN12609000374268
Acronym
PANTS
Enrollment
159
Registered
2009-05-27
Start date
2010-12-07
Completion date
2012-05-21
Last updated
2020-01-13

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

None listed

Brief summary

This is a two stage project: (1) independent microbiological studies to confirm the identity of the probiotic bacteria and the safety (contaminants, unspecified contents, osmolarity) of the probiotic product followed by (2) a pilot clinical trial to test the hypothesis that routine supplementation with this probiotic product will result in colonisation of the gut (primary hypothesis) and reduction in all cause deaths, and diseases like NEC, and late onset sepsis (secondary hypotheses) in premature babies.

Interventions

This is a prospective double blind placebo controlled randomised trial investigating the safety and efficacy of a locally available probiotic product. Enrolled neonates will be allocated to the product (containing Lactobacillus acidophilus 375 million, Bifidobacterium bifidum & Bifidobacterium longus 125 million organisms) or an identical looking placebo containing maltodextrin. This is available in tablet form, which is crushed and mixed with 3ml of sterile water at the bedside, and given twic

This is a prospective double blind placebo controlled randomised trial investigating the safety and efficacy of a locally available probiotic product. Enrolled neonates will be allocated to the product (containing Lactobacillus acidophilus 375 million, Bifidobacterium bifidum & Bifidobacterium longus 125 million organisms) or an identical looking placebo containing maltodextrin. This is available in tablet form, which is crushed and mixed with 3ml of sterile water at the bedside, and given twice daily by mouth / gastric tube, from the start of enteral feeds until discharged home or term (37 weeks post menstral age) whichever comes first.

Sponsors

Womens and Childrens Health Service
Lead SponsorHospital

Study design

Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Prevention
Masking
Blinded (masking used)

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
All
Age
0 to 32 Weeks
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

(1)Gestation up to 32 weeks and 6 days (2)Birth weight under 1500 grams (3)Ready to commence or on enteral feeds for up to 12 hours (4) Parental Consent

Exclusion criteria

(1) Major congenital malformation (2) Chromosomal aberration (3) Lack of informed parental consent (4) On enteral feeds for more than 12 hours (5) Contraindications for enteral feds (6) Life threatening illness/condition

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ANZCTR · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026