Sen. Bob Casey Presses FDA For Information On Recalled Baby Formula
PITTSBURGH (KDKA/AP) - Senators Bob Casey and Sherrod Brown sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration requesting information on the agency's plans to investigate reports of illnesses and deaths linked to Abbott Nutrition's recalled baby formula.
In the letter, the senators from Pennsylvania and Ohio ask the FDA commissioner for the current status of the investigation and for the steps the agency is taking to address the shortage and help families affected by the recall.
The senators said reports of illnesses related to the formula came five months before Abbott issued a recall in February.
According to findings released by federal safety inspectors in March, Abbott failed to maintain sanitary conditions and procedures at the Michigan manufacturing plant recently linked to a cluster of infant illnesses.
The FDA posted its initial inspection findings from the Abbott plant that's been tied to several infant hospitalizations and two deaths due to a rare bacterial infection.
The recalls have exacerbated ongoing shortages of infant formula due to supply chain issues.
Infections with the cronobacter bacteria are rare but can be fatal in babies. Almost all outbreaks reported in the U.S. have been linked to powdered baby formulas, which don't undergo the same high temperatures used to kill germs in many other foods. Manufacturers have long said that it's impossible to eliminate all bacteria from the formulas.
It's unclear why the FDA didn't take action at the plant earlier. FDA inspectors visited the plant in late September and cited several problems, including unsanitary conditions, a lack of temperature controls, and employees who failed to sanitize their hands. But none of the problems resulted in a formal FDA warning or requirement that Abbott halt production.
For more information about the powdered formula part of the recall can find information on Abbott's website or the FDA's website.
