Toxic Baby Formula NEC Lawsuit Update May 2022

Abbott Laboratories and Mead Johnson are facing lawsuits across the country. Plaintiffs accuse the companies of failing to warn doctors and parents of the risks associated with their cow-milk based baby formulas. 

May 2022 Update: The Toxic Baby Formula NEC litigation is ongoing, and consumers are beginning to feel its effects. 

There have been baby formula shortages across the country in the past month, partly due to Abbott’s recall of certain baby formulas that contained dangerous bacteria.  

The President has even gotten involved, putting out additional steps to address the baby formula shortage at a national level. 

A bill is awaiting Senate approval after being passed in the House of Representatives: “The House voted 414-9 to approve a measure that would allow more formula to be purchased with money from a federal program that aids low-income women, infants and children. In a more partisan 231-192 vote, the House passed a bill that would send $28 million to the Food and Drug Administration to help boost formula supply and prevent future shortages.”

On April 8th, NEC lawsuits were consolidated in the US District Court: Northern District of Illinois in MDL 3026. Another group of NEC lawsuits were filed in Illinois State Court in Madison County. 

The United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation (JPML) issued a transfer order on April 8th, consolidating all pending lawsuits into an MDL assigned to the U.S. District Court: Northern District of Illinois. 

Toxic Baby Formula NEC lawsuits involve Similac (manufactured by Abbott), Enfamil (manufactured by Mead Johnson), and other powdered baby formulas. Research published in the National Library of Medicine has linked powdered formulas like Similac and Enfamil to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a gastrointestinal disease that can be fatal in premature babies.