Mom said infant formula killed her baby. The manufacturer closed the file

Mom said infant formula killed her baby. The manufacturer closed the file recounts how a mother’s report tied to necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) was handled by Mead Johnson. In September 2016, she contacted the infant formula maker demanding removal from its mailing list, saying her preterm son died from NEC after receiving the “animal based pre-term artificial baby food” sold to NICUs. An internal memo cited “extensive quality and safety checks” and concluded there was “not a reasonable possibility” the formula caused the death, stating the file could be closed. The article says the email and memo were used in court cases Watson v. Mead Johnson and Whitfield v. St. Louis Children’s Hospital. It then describes FDA reporting rules, noting that companies must notify the agency within 15 days only if they find a reasonable possibility of a causal relationship between formula consumption and a death. Using FOIA requests, KFF Health News reports the FDA found no notifications since Jan. 1, 2020, and none back to Jan. 1, 2000. It also cites testimony from a paid Abbott expert witness in October 2024 claiming Abbott had never reported a death under relevant regulations for preterm infant formula.