The commissioner of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated on Wednesday that he does not anticipate another formula shortage as a result of the weather-related closure of a Michigan infant formula factory.
"We were made aware of the weather-related problem at Abbott's Sturgis, Michigan plant today; I personally called the CEO tonight, and we discussed our shared goal to get the facility back up and running as soon as possible," FDA Commissioner Dr. Robert M. Califf posted on Twitter.
Baby Formula Company Stops Production Again
Califf's comments came shortly after Abbott Nutrition revealed that it was temporarily halting its infant formula production unit in Sturgis due to floods induced by bad weather.
However, according to Abbott's statement, the business presently has a sufficient supply of EleCare and the majority of its specialized and metabolic formulae to satisfy the demands for these medicines until the new product is ready.
Before the statement on Wednesday, Abbott Nutrition had halted its Sturgis manufacturing unit in February due to a recall of several infant formula products. The goods were withdrawn due to concerns about bacterial infections in newborns.
The plant's shutdown in February caused a statewide infant formula scarcity, with some parents queuing for hours to buy formula and others facing price increases. During the crisis, several newborns were also hospitalized when their parents attempted to make homemade formula, according to Newsweek via MSN.
Earlier, Abbott claimed that their hypoallergenic formula, EleCare, will be available to consumers around June 20 - the beginning of next week. The corporation prioritized specialist formulae like these since they are especially important for medically sensitive newborns who cannot simply switch brands.
That is unlikely to happen now, and infants with special nutritional needs, as well as the general public, will have to wait longer for an infusion of formula from Abbott, the largest domestic maker of infant formula before the recall.
Abbott stated that they still have enough EleCare and most of their specialized and metabolic formulae on hand to handle the demand for these medications until the new product is released. According to them, these items are being distributed to customers in need in collaboration with healthcare specialists, as per ABC13.
White House Discusses Baby Formula Shortage, COVID-19 Vaccine
Meanwhile, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre convened a special White House briefing for parents, parenting writers, and influencers Thursday night in the press briefing room. She welcomed US Assistant Secretary of Health Adm. Rachel Levine and White House coronavirus coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha to discuss the continuing newborn formula crisis and COVID-19 immunizations.
The event took place after the White House declared a 'lid' for the day, suggesting that the media might leave, and attendees declined to answer press questions. Levine was questioned twice on when President Joe Biden was informed of the infant formula problem and who briefed him on it.
Previously, Jean-Pierre had difficulty providing reporters with a timetable for when the president learned that infant formula might be in limited supply. Biden told reporters earlier this month that he first became aware of the situation in early April.
Jha and Levine held a Q&A with bloggers and officials from parent organizations. The baby blogger briefing was not scheduled and was not live-streamed on the White House website.
It was discovered by reporters who were still working at the White House. Earlier, during her planned briefing, the new press secretary had numerous heated exchanges with reporters, including one over when President Joe Biden was last tested for COVID-19. Last week, Biden spent several days with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau before Trudeau tested positive for the coronavirus, Daily Mail reported.
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