US FDA Probes Into the Death of 9 Infants Allegedly Due to Baby Formula Made by Abbott

US Food and Drug Administration is looking into the deaths of nine babies allegedly connected to a formula manufactured by Abbott that was given to the fatalities. A previous problem is the supply of baby formula that was diverted to some agencies, not American consumers.

US FDA Probes Into Infant Fatalities

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced last Friday it had initiated an inquiry into the deaths of at least nine infants as of early 2021, they allegedly took Abbott Nutrition baby formula and became ill and eventually passed away, reported RT.

Two fatal cases were confirmed by the US FDA, while two more infants got sick after drinking the baby milk made at an Abbott Nutrition plant in Sturgis, Michigan. Agency officials think the substance had been contaminated by cronobacter sakazakii bacterium, cited the Press United.

But the FDA is not able to show without doubt the infection is the real cause of the nine dead infants. According to the Washington Post, there isn't enough formula left in some cases to run the test.

In some cases, genome sequence disclosed that infants who died of cronobacter had been infected with strains than the one discovered during an inspection at baby formula maker Abbott in one of their plants this spring.

Infant Death Linked to Contaminated Formula

The website eFoodAlert initially elevated concerns about the formula to the US Food and Drug Administration. Food safety expert Phyllis Entis got access to the grievances via the Freedom of Information Act request. Between December 2021 and March 2022, the FDA received a total of 128 consumer complaints.

Based on the nine fatal cases with complaints in 25 circumstances that the infants had life-threatening illness/injury, about 80 more babies were diagnosed with injuries and sicknesses that are not life-threatening. But the complaints are not verified by medical professionals as the outlet reports.

There is no hard evidence linking intake of the formula made at the Sturgis plant to illness. A statement from the agency said it did a complete review and investigated most of the 128 complaints from consumers. Furthermore, four complaints can be part of the case investigation concerning Abbott Nutrition.

Meanwhile, the company kept insisting in a statement released yesterday that none of the reported deaths were related to its products.

Abbott tested products for Cronobacter sakazakii and Salmonella before they were dispersed, and baby formula made available to consumers tested positive. In a facility inspection, Abbott and the FDA evaluated all products for Cronobacter sakazakii and/or Salmonella but had none, remarked the firm.

In late May, in a testimony given while in Congress, the FDA Commissioner Robert Califf called the conditions at the Sturgis plant allegedly unclean and shocking.

Last Saturday, the Abbott Nutrition production facility was reopened when the FDA inspected the needed improvement to reopen the plant. The FDA closed the plant that got shut down earlier in February. Abbott manufacturing baby formula makes up 40% of the formula retailed in the US. Closing this plant caused a shortage of the product that is not yet resolved.

US Food and Drug Administration investigated the baby formula maker Abbott if it is the cause of the nine infant deaths; so far, the problem has a solution in sight.