Baby Formula Lawsuits

Parents are suing Enfamil manufacturer Mead Johnson and Similac manufacturer Abbott Laboratories because they knew or should have known their baby formula products could cause necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in premature infants. Manufacturers failed to warn parents and medical providers about the risk.

NEC is a serious gastrointestinal condition that causes intestinal tissue death and may be fatal in as many as 50% of cases. It causes intestinal inflammation that may cause holes in the intestine. Bacteria from the intestine can leak into the abdomen or blood, causing serious illness or deadly blood infections.

As far back as 1990, a study in Lancet revealed that NEC was up to 10 times more common in premature babies given formula. Since then, many more studies have linked cow’s milk-based formula to a higher risk of NEC in premature infants, according to baby formula lawsuits.

Mead Johnson and Abbott Laboratories, Enfamil and Similac have no warnings about NEC as a baby formula side effect or proper instructions or guidelines for their use, according to parents who sued. The companies also marketed their products as safe and beneficial for premature infants in spite of the potential risks.

Parents are suing for extensive financial losses and emotional distress related to their baby’s injuries or death.

Parents who had a premature infant diagnosed with necrotizing enterocolitis after being fed Similac or Enfamil can file a baby formula lawsuit for potential compensation.

Your baby may have been fed Similac or Enfamil in the hospital. If you are unsure, your lawyer may be able to help you find out. Make sure you provide the name of the hospital and the hospital’s location.

After your baby was discharged from the hospital, you may have fed your baby a Similac or Enfamil formula product. Lawyers encourage parents to keep any receipts, proof of purchase, packaging or boxes from the formula for evidence.

Enfamil and Similac have not been recalled for causing NEC. But there have been isolated store recalls for product tampering and a rare bacterial infection in the past. These are not related to NEC.

In the tampering incident, a few mothers reported their Enfamil products contained flour instead of formula. In another incident, a few babies got sick and some died after drinking Enfamil that reportedly gave them bacterial infections. The FDA tested the formula and declared it safe.

In August 2021, the Able Groupe recalled its HiPP, Holle, Bioland and Kendamil baby formula products. According to the FDA’s recall notification, the products didn’t contain enough iron, and the products didn’t come with a notification that parents may need to feed babies additional iron.