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Clinical Study of Partially Hydrolysed Protein Infant Formula on Trans-epidermal Water Loss (TEWL)

Clinical Study of Partially Hydrolysed Protein Infant Formula on Trans-epidermal Water Loss (TEWL)

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04763512
Enrollment
200
Registered
2021-02-21
Start date
2021-06-06
Completion date
2024-11-02
Last updated
2025-06-27

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

Conditions

Atopic Dermatitis, Skin Condition

Keywords

atopic dermatitis development, trans-epidermal water loss, allergy, growth patterns, quality of life, gut comfort, partially hydrolysed whey

Brief summary

This is a single-centre, prospective, randomized, open-label, controlled trial of 200 infants 42±7 days of age. Subjects will be randomized to one of two open label feeding intervention group: * Intact Cow's Milk Protein Formula Group (CMFG) (n = 100) or * Partially Hydrolysed Whey Formula Group (pHFG) (n = 100).

Detailed description

Atopic dermatitis (AD) affects 15 - 30% of children. Approximately 45% of these cases have an onset within the first 6 months of life and 60% develop within the first year (Bieber 2010). Besides environmental factors, the aetiology of AD has been found to be associated with genetic variants involved in skin barrier function defect and inflammation, leading to dry skin with increases in susceptibility to environmental exposures (Bieber 2008). Partially hydrolysed cow's milk (whey) protein infant formula (pHF) has been shown to be effective in prevention of AD, both among at-risk and healthy infants (Exl, Deland et al. 2000, von Berg, Koletzko et al. 2003, Jingrana and Dunjina 2015). However, to date there are no published pediatric data to document the relationship between partially hydrolysed protein formulas and skin barrier function, specifically evaluating the effect of pHF on Trans-epidermal Water Loss (TEWL) among infants. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the effect on skin barrier function as measured by TEWL and we hypothesize that infants consuming partially hydrolysed starter formula will have lower TEWL when compared infants consuming intact cow's milk protein starter formula.

Interventions

Study product will be provided as powder, reconstituted with water by parents/caregivers according to label instructions, and consumed orally. Study participants will continue this feeding regimen for 4 months.

DIETARY_SUPPLEMENTPartially Hydrolysed Whey Formula

Study product will be provided as powder, reconstituted with water by parents/caregivers according to label instructions, and consumed orally. Study participants will continue this feeding regimen for 16 months.

Sponsors

Medidata Solutions
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
SAS Institute
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
Veeva Systems
CollaboratorINDUSTRY
Cognizant Technology Solutions AG
CollaboratorUNKNOWN
Société des Produits Nestlé (SPN)
Lead SponsorINDUSTRY

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
35 Days to 49 Days
Healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

* Infants 42± 7 days of age at enrolment (date of birth = age 0). * Infants who have been born full-term gestational birth (≥ 37 completed weeks of gestation) and having a birth weight ≥ 2.5 kg and ≤ 4.5 kg. * Parents /caregivers must agree to follow study procedures and recommended skincare routines, such as avoidance of moisturizers or other skincare products on the primary sites of interest. * Parent(s) must have already independently elected before enrolment to formula feed and less than 30% of intake will be from breastmilk.

Exclusion criteria

* Known and diagnosed cow's milk protein allergy/intolerance. * Infants currently using or have ever used partially hydrolysed protein formulas. * Infants who have ever used topical corticosteroids, calcineurin inhibitors and/or any other physician-recommended treatments for skin conditions after birth. * Infants who have been introduced to complementary foods.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Skin barrier functionBaseline (age 42 ± 7 days) to Study Month 4 (age 6 months)Change in Trans-epidermal water loss (TEWL)

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
LengthBaseline (age 42 ± 7 days) to Study Month 4 (age 6 months) - in both randomized groups and until Study Month 15 (age 18 months) in pHF group onlyLength in centimeters and corresponding Z-score according to WHO reference standards and/or local standardized growth charts will be calculated.
Head CircumferenceBaseline (age 42 ± 7 days) to Study Month 4 (age 6 months) - in both randomized groups and until Study Month 15 (age 18 months) in pHF group onlyHead circumference in centimeters and corresponding Z-score according to WHO reference standards and/or local standardized growth charts will be calculated.
Infant health-related quality of lifeBaseline (age 42 ± 7 days) to Study Month 4 (age 6 months) - in both randomized groups and until Study Month 15 (age 18 months) in pHF group onlyAssessed through a parent-reported, validated questionnaire called Infant Toddler Quality of Life questionnaire 47-item short-form (ITQOL-SF47). For each concept, item responses are scored, summed, and transformed on a scale from 0 (worst health) to 100 (best health).
Incidence and severity of Atopic Dermatitis (AD) and other allergic manifestations (CMF group)aseline (age 42 ± 7 days) to Study Month 4 (age 6 months) - in both randomized groups and until Study Month 15 (age 18 months) in pHF group onlyIncidence will be gathered from standard Adverse Event (AE) reporting. Atopic Dermatitis (AD) will be diagnose based on the Williams diagnostic criteria of International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC). Severity of AD will be assessed using the SCORing Atopic Dermatitis (SCORAD) index, which consists of the extent and intensity of the disorder and subjective symptoms.
WeightBaseline (age 42 ± 7 days) to Study Month 4 (age 6 months) - in both randomized groups and until Study Month 15 (age 18 months) in pHF group onlyWeight in grams and corresponding Z-score according to WHO reference standards and/or local standardized growth charts will be calculated.
Toddler gut comfortStudy Month 9 (age 12 months) and Study Month 15 (age 18 months)Using the Toddler Gut Comfort Questionnaire.
Stool consistencyBaseline (age 42 ± 7 days) to Study Month 4 (age 6 months)Parents will record for 3 consecutive days after each bowel movement in a 3-Day Stool Diary the stool consistency on a validated 5-point scale from 1-watery to 5-hard.
Formula acceptance and satisfactionBaseline (age 42 ± 7 days) to Study Month 4 (age 6 months) - in both randomized groups and until Study Month 15 (age 18 months) in pHF group onlyFormula intake, acceptability and satisfaction recorded using the Milk Intake and Satisfaction Questionnaire.
Safety assessment: Adverse events (AEs)Baseline (age 42 ± 7 days) to Study Month 4 (age 6 months) - in both randomized groups and until Study Month 15 (age 18 months) in pHF group onlyUsing standard adverse events (AEs) reporting for safety assessment.
Infant gut comfortBaseline (age 42 ± 7 days) to Study Month 4 (age 6 months)Using the Infant Gastrointestinal Symptom Questionnaire (IGSQ)-13.

Countries

China

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026