Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Restarted Abbott Plant Prioritizing Formula For Babies With Digestive Issues
CNBC: Abbott Nutrition Restarts Baby Formula Production In Reopened Michigan Plant
Abbott Nutrition on Saturday resumed baby formula production at its Sturgis, Michigan, plant, a move toward addressing a nationwide shortage. The company has been given the green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration after meeting “initial requirements” as part of a May 16 consent decree. The company said it will restart the production of EleCare, a formula for children who struggle to digest other products, along with other specialty and metabolic formulas. (Dore, 6/4)
AP: Abbott Restarts Baby Formula Plant Linked To Contamination
Abbott said it initially will prioritize production of its EleCare specialty formulas for infants with severe food allergies and digestive problems who have few other options for nutrition. The company said it will take about three weeks before new formula from the plant begins getting to consumers. “We will ramp production as quickly as we can while meeting all requirements,” Abbott said in a statement. (Perrone, 6/4)
Fox News: US To Import Baby Formula From Mexico, But Parents Must Wait Until July To Buy It
In a Friday update, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said that about 1.3 million cans of Gerber Good Start Gentle infant formula would be imported from Mexico to the U.S. The shipment of nearly 33 million full-size, 8-ounce bottles – or 2.2 million pounds – is expected to be available from Nestlé on Gerber's website and at key retailers starting in July and extending through October. "The FDA is exercising enforcement discretion for the importation of Gerber Good Start Gentle from Nestlé (Mexico) following the review of info provided pertaining to nutritional adequacy and safety including testing, labeling and facility production [and] inspection history," the agency tweeted. (Musto, 6/3)
The Hill: Commerce Secretary Says She ‘Probably’ Didn’t Learn Of Baby Formula Shortage Until April
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on Sunday that the Biden administration has taken “extraordinary” measures to combat the ongoing baby formula shortage, but when pressed said she “probably” didn’t learn about the crisis until April. “I first learned about it a couple of months ago,” Raimondo told CNN “State of the Union” co-anchor Jake Tapper. But when Tapper followed up by asking if she had first learned about it in April — the same time President Biden recently revealed he learned about the severity of the crisis — Raimondo said, “probably.” (Schonfeld, 6/5)
