On Monday, Abbott said its agreement called Consent Decree stipulates the requirements it must follow to resume production and maintain its Sturgis facility. Once the FDA confirms that the company met the initial requirements for start-up, it could restart the facility within two weeks.
In a statement, Abbott Chairman and CEO Robert Ford said, “Our number one priority is getting infants and families the high-quality formulas they need, and this is a major step toward re-opening our Sturgis facility so we can ease the nationwide formula shortage. We look forward to working with the FDA to quickly and safely re-open the facility.'”
“We know millions of parents and caregivers depend on us and we’re deeply sorry that our voluntary recall worsened the nationwide formula shortage. We will work hard to re-earn the trust that moms, dads and caregivers have placed in our formulas for more than 50 years,” he added.
FDA and CDC investigation findings
The FDA and CDC conducted a thorough investigation into the consumer complaints related to Abbott’s baby formula products. The agencies did not find conclusive evidence linking the company’s products to the infants’ illnesses.
