Aug. 19 at 8:48 PM
Abbott Laboratories has agreed to settle its appeal of a
$495 million verdict involving its specialized formula for premature infants, according to court filings in Missouri. The settlement terms were not disclosed.
In 2024, a St. Louis jury found that Abbott’s infant formula contributed to an Illinois girl developing necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), a serious intestinal disease primarily affecting premature newborns. Abbott had challenged the verdict before the Missouri Supreme Court after a state appeals court upheld it in May.
About 1,000 similar lawsuits have been filed against Abbott, which makes Similac, and Mead Johnson, a Reckitt unit that produces Enfamil. More than 800 cases are consolidated in federal court in Illinois, with additional cases pending in Illinois, Missouri and Pennsylvania.
NEC causes intestinal tissue death and has an estimated mortality rate above 20%.
$ABT