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The
pause announced on Wednesday marked the latest setback for the
recently re-opened Sturgis plant, which has been at the center
of a baby formula shortage in the United States.
The company has notified the U.S. Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) and said the incident would likely delay the production
and distribution of the infant formula for a few weeks. EleCare
formula is meant for children and babies who cannot tolerate
intact protein or may have protein allergies.
Abbott, whose shares were trading 2% lower before the bell on
Thursday, had just reopened the plant last week after a product
recall and months-long shutdown due to reports of bacterial
infections in infants who consumed products made at the
facility.
The company, which was the biggest U.S. supplier of powder
infant formula before the recall, said in a statement https://abbo.tt/3NYJb5c
it had enough existing supply to meet current needs.
It plans to resume production of EleCare once the plant is
re-sanitized and said it would work to restart production of
Similac "as soon as possible".
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf said once Abbott has a reopening
plan, the agency would go to the facility to ensure a swift
production restart of "safe and quality" products.
Meanwhile, Abbott and other producers continue to make formula
at "higher-than-average rates," he said.
"This means that the total amount of formula available, even
before the Sturgis plant is back in production, exceeds the
demand for formula prior to the recall," Califf said on Twitter.
(Reporting by Abinaya Vijayaraghavan and Manas Mishra in
Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber and Aditya Soni)
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