Maeil Dairies Supplies Special Formula to Rare Disease Children in China Following Korea

Supply Agreement for Infant Formula for Congenital Metabolic Disorder Patients with Alibaba
"Expanding Product Range Starting with Absolute MPA Formula"

Maeil Dairies will supply special infant formula for children with congenital metabolic disorders in China, following its domestic efforts.

On the 13th, Maeil Dairies announced that it has signed a charitable partnership agreement with Alibaba Group's healthcare subsidiary, AliHealth (阿里健康), to supply the special infant formula products "Absolute MPA (MPA) Stage 1 and 2" to the Chinese market.

Mari (left), Senior Vice President of Ali Health, and Park Jung-wook, Head of Overseas Business Division at Maeil Dairies, signed a supply agreement related to infant formula for patients with congenital metabolic disorders.

Alibaba Group operates a support project for children with congenital metabolic disorders in China. This agreement was made following a request from a family of a patient in China who hoped for a stable supply of special infant formula. Since manufacturers of special infant formula for congenital metabolic disorders are very rare worldwide, regular product supply is extremely important for patient families.

Under this agreement, AliHealth plans to support a stable supply by helping Maeil Dairies' special infant formula enter the Chinese online commerce market. They will also support various activities such as funding and product donations for children with congenital metabolic disorders, as well as cooperation with hospitals and public health centers.

A Maeil Dairies representative said, "We plan to gradually increase the range of special infant formula products starting with the supply of Absolute MPA (MPA) Stage 1 and 2 products, and also participate in corporate social responsibility activities for children with congenital metabolic disorders in China."

The special infant formula Absolute MPA (MPA) Stage 1 and 2 is a formulated food for patients with congenital metabolic disorders. It is designed for children with symptoms of methylmalonic acidemia and propionic acidemia.

Congenital metabolic disorders are rare diseases affecting about 1 in 50,000 people in Korea. They are genetic metabolic diseases in which specific enzymes that break down essential nutrients such as proteins, carbohydrates, fats, and amino acids are deficient or not produced. Patients have difficulty freely consuming common foods such as breast milk, meat, bread, and rice, and must follow strict dietary management by consuming special infant formula throughout their lives. Failure to properly manage the diet can lead to the accumulation of unmetabolized metabolic products, causing motor development disorders, growth retardation, brain cell damage, or in severe cases, death.

Maeil Dairies is the only company in Korea that has been manufacturing and supplying 12 types of 8 special infant formula products for children with congenital metabolic disorders for 25 years since 1999. A Maeil Dairies representative said, "The special infant formula business for children with congenital metabolic disorders is operated as a corporate social responsibility rather than for profitability, so we actively engaged in this partnership agreement with AliHealth. We expect that the supply of Absolute MPA (MPA) Stage 1 and 2 special infant formula will open various opportunities to help children with congenital metabolic disorders and their families not only in Korea but also in China."

Meanwhile, as part of its corporate social responsibility activities, Maeil Dairies has been conducting the "Heart Meal Campaign" every year at the end of the year since 2013 to raise social awareness and foster a culture of care for congenital metabolic disorders. Since 2001, it has also annually sponsored family camps organized by the Korea Population, Health and Welfare Association for families of PKU (phenylketonuria) patients.