A jury on Friday found that Abbott Laboratories’ specialized formula for premature infants caused an Illinois girl to develop a dangerous bowel disease, ordering the healthcare company to pay $495 million in compensatory and punitive damages.

The verdict in St. Louis, Missouri state court comes in the first trial against the company out of hundreds of similar claims over the formula pending in courts around the country, which Reuters viewed via Courtroom View Network.

The jury awarded $95 million in compensatory damages and $400 million in punitive damages.

Before the jury was sent to consider punitive damages, Abbott attorney James Hurst said that the verdict risks sending the wrong message and limiting doctors’ options for feeding preterm infants who cannot breastfeed.

    • Annoyed_🦀 A
      6•3 months ago

      Illinois resident Margo Gill, who brought the case against Abbott, alleged that the company failed to warn that its formula could cause a potentially deadly disease called necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) in premature babies.

      Maybe go ask what Abbott put in their formula that will increase the risk of contracting this disease, and why the parent of the patient aren’t being told of this

      • AmidFuror
        2•3 months ago

        It’s more accurate to say that the formula failed to prevent NEC.

        https://necsociety.org/nec-society-statement-on-lawsuits/

        For babies at risk of NEC, mother’s own milk provides the most protection against NEC. […] If mother’s own milk is not available, then pasteurized donor breast milk is the next safest option for infants at risk of NEC. […] Sometimes, formula is necessary and chosen by the baby’s care team as the best available plan of care.