SAN ANTONIO, Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Mission Pharmacal today announced the addition of CitraNatal(R) Assure to its CitraNatal(R) family of prescription prenatal vitamins. CitraNatal Assure builds on the benefits of the CitraNatal line and offers increased nutrients for women and their babies.
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Prenatal vitamins are an important resource for women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant. They provide women with the essential vitamins and minerals they may be lacking from a healthy diet alone.
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"CitraNatal Assure provides women with all the prenatal essentials of the CitraNatal line, and also offers increased levels of several vitamins and minerals," said Neill Walsdorf, Jr., President of Mission Pharmacal. "Mission Pharmacal is proud to add this unique formulation to the CitraNatal family to offer women another prenatal option to meet their individual needs."
CitraNatal Assure contains 300mg of Martek's life'sDHA(TM), a patented, plant-based form of the omega-3 fatty acid DHA, which is consistent with current published guidelines for pregnant and lactating women(1). DHA is the recommended essential fatty acid for prenatal care. It has been shown to be instrumental in the baby's pre- and postnatal brain, eye and nervous system development, increase the baby's gestation period, birth weight and size, lead to higher visual acuity at age 60 days, and increase cognitive and psychomotor developments(2,3,4). DHA cannot be produced naturally by the body; it must be gathered from diet or supplements.
CitraNatal Assure also offers increased levels of iron and vitamin B6. Vitamin B6 contributes to a baby's developing brain and nervous system(5) and may help some women reduce severe nausea or vomiting during pregnancy(6). It also helps the body maintain blood glucose levels, metabolize proteins, formulate neurotransmitters for normal nerve cell communication and makes hemoglobin to carry oxygen to tissues(7).
Pregnant women may experience improved comfort with CitraNatal Assure. CitraNatal Assure contains calcium citrate, a source known for proven absorption and no gas production to help ease GI discomfort during pregnancy, a gentle dual-iron formulation of carbonyl iron and ferrous gluconate for gentle absorption, tolerability and safety, and a stool softener to help ease constipation often associated with pregnancy.
The CitraNatal family of products offers four unique formulations of essential vitamins and minerals designed to ensure comfort and optimize nutrition for women and their babies. Women who are pregnant or planning to conceive should consult with their healthcare provider prior to beginning any prenatal vitamin regimen.
About the CitraNatal(R) Line
CitraNatal is marketed by Mission Pharmacal Company based in San Antonio, Texas. CitraNatal vitamins are specially formulated for the many women who require nutritional support prior to conception, throughout pregnancy, and during the postnatal period. The plant-derived DHA found in several CitraNatal products is produced exclusively by Martek Biosciences Corporation based in Columbia, Maryland.
About Mission Pharmacal
Mission Pharmacal is a privately held pharmaceutical company based in San Antonio, Texas. For more than 60 years, the company has been committed to meeting the unique needs of women throughout all stages of life, identifying unmet health needs in the marketplace, and developing innovative prescription and over-the-counter products to meet them. Currently, Mission Pharmacal provides physicians and consumers with pharmaceutical and nutritional products. For more information, visit www.missionpharmacal.com or www.citranatal.com.
(1) Simopoulos, A.P., et al. Workshop on the Essentiality of and Recommended Dietary Intakes for omega-6 and omega-3 Fatty Acids. Journal of the American College of Nutrition, 1999; 18 (5): 487-489.
(2) Smuts C.M., et al. A Randomized Trial of Docosahexaenoic Acid Supplementation During the Third Trimester of Pregnancy. American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. 2003;101(3):469-479.
(3) Innis S.M., Friesen R.W. Essential n-3 Fatty Acids in Pregnant Women and Early Visual Acuity Maturation in Term Infants. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2008;87: 548-557.
(4) Jacobson J.L., et al. Beneficial Effects of a Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid on Infant Development: Evidence from the Inuit of Arctic Quebec. The Journal of Pediatrics. 2008;152: 356-364.
(5) Mahomed K., Gulmezoglu A.M. Pyridoxine (vitamin B6) supplementation in pregnancy (Cochrane Review). In: The Cochrane Library, Issue 2, 2003. Accessed at: http://drug.pharmacy.psu.ac.th/wbfile/97254611283.doc. Last accessed November 24, 2008.
(6) Sahakian V., et al. Vitamin B6 Is Effective Therapy for Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy: A Randomized, Double Blind Placebo-Controlled Study. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 1991; 78(1): 33-36.
(7) Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin B6. Office of Dietary Supplements. National Institutes of Health. Accessed at: http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitaminb6.asp. Last accessed November 24, 2008.
SOURCE Mission Pharmacal Company
