Abbott to Pay $670 Million to Settle Preterm Formula NEC Claims
Abbott Laboratories will pay $670 million to settle claims involving about 2,000 people who alleged its specialized preterm infant formulas contributed to necrotizing enterocolitis in premature infants. The deal also resolves Abbott’s appeal of a $495 million verdict upheld by a Missouri appeals court. Litigation continues, with more than 825 federal cases in Chicago. Separately, regulators and an NIH working group linked higher NEC rates to the absence of breast milk.