Abbott reopens US infant formula factory after FDA settlement

A Abbott explicou em comunicado que priorizará a produção de leite em pó para bebês com problemas de alergias alimentares e digestão, para os quais há poucas alternativas nutricionais.
Abbott explained in a statement that it will prioritize the production of formula milk for babies with food allergy and digestion problems, for which there are few alternatives nutritional.| Photo: Abbott/Disclosure

05122611Abbott, the leading manufacturer of infant formula in the United States, reactivated the factory located in Sturgis, Michigan, after several months closed, the company informed on Saturday (4). The stoppage aggravated the problems of shortage of the product in the country.

05122611In In May, Abbott announced that it had reached an agreement with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a US agency similar to Anvisa in Brazil, to reopen as soon as possible the Michigan plant, which was closed after at least four babies. have suffered a bacterial infection and two of them have died after consuming milk produced in the unit.

The FDA encountered health issues at the site, which is why Abbott’s Michigan plant had to shut down operations in February. The company also withdrew several products from the market. Since then, supply problems have left many parents unable to get the formula in American supermarkets, which has become a contention between Democrats and Republicans. Abbott explained in a statement that it will prioritize the production of formula milk for babies with food allergies and digestion problems, for whom there are few nutritional alternatives.05122611 05122611The reopening of the factory is one of the measures that US President Joe Biden has committed to take in response to the shortage. In mid-May, Biden authorized the Department of Defense to use its contracts with commercial airlines to import powdered milk from anywhere in the world.05122611 05122611 The president also invoked a Cold War-era law to accelerate the production of powdered milk in the United States. The most affected are children with food allergies or digestive problems, as Abbott is the only company that produces formulas specifically designed for these cases.

In the US, four companies produce about 90% of infant formula, which exacerbated a shortage caused in part by global supply problems caused by the covid pandemic-19. Despite the reopening of the Michigan plant, officials have already warned that it will take about two months for infant formula supplies to return to normal levels.05122611

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