Similac, Enfamil Baby Formula Makers Facing Serious Lawsuits
The makers of Similac and Enfamil are facing a growing number of lawsuits alleging their popular cow-milk based baby formulas have caused pre-term infants to develop a serious infection called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). NEC is an aggressive gastrointestinal bacterial infection that can lead to decay of the tissue of an infant’s intestinal walls.
The most serious cases of NEC are life threatening and require immediate medical attention and treatment as the infection can cause a hole to form in the intestine.
If the intestine is perforated, it allows harmful bacteria to escape into the abdominal cavity – causing a deadly bloodstream infection called sepsis – which is very often fatal for the baby.
While the makers of these baby formulas have promoted their products as safe, even superior substitutes for breast milk for premature infants, evidence suggests that they knew their formulas posed serious risks of NEC.
Specifically, the manufacturers were aware of scientific research finding that pre-term infants given cow-milk based formulas are 10 times more at risk for NEC than those fed with breast milk. Despite this knowledge, these manufacturers made a business decision to not include any warnings on their labels.
The American Academy of Pediatrics is strongly cautioning against feeding these cow-milk formulas to premature infants.
Our firm is investigating NEC claims. Contact us for a free and confidential consultation.
