Third Baby Formula-NEC Trial Case Set to Start this Week in Missouri
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The third baby formula lawsuit to go to trial is set to get underway this week in Missouri’s 22nd Judicial Circuit Court.
According to Reuters, jury selection began on Monday in the case. This could indicate the direction of the hundreds of active lawsuits related to the link between baby formula and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC).
The case involves a Missouri mother who claims that her premature baby boy developed NEC after being fed cow’s milk formula. The makers of Similac and Enfamil, along with St. Louis Children’s Hospital, are the listed defendants.
Research dating back to the 1990s has suggested links between formula feeding and NEC in premature infants.
Plaintiffs have seen significant success in baby formula litigation so far. Another win in this latest trial could continue that momentum as the federal multidistrict litigation is expected to set bellwether trials for some time early next year.
In July, a jury awarded a mother $495 million over claims that Abbott failed to warn about NEC risks from its Similac formula. The mother’s baby girl had been fed formula in the NICU and then developed NEC. She suffered irreversible neurological damage.
Several months earlier in March, a premature infant developed NEC and died following the consumption of Abbott’s Enfamil formula. An Illinois jury awarded $60 million to the infant’s mother.
The MDL will likely release trial dates for its four bellwether cases soon.
Hundreds of Lawsuits Filed Over Links Between Baby Formula, NEC
Plaintiffs have filed over 500 lawsuits in an Illinois-based MDL over claims that some types of baby formula are linked to NEC.
NEC is a serious intestinal issue that most often affects premature infants. According to the National Library of Medicine, NEC can cause intestinal perforation as it progresses, which can cause serious health issues like peritonitis or sepsis.
The mortality rate for NEC is as high as 50%.
Years of studies have suggested that there may be a link between premature infants who are fed formula and the development of NEC.
Prematurity, low birth weight and formula feeding are the main risk factors for the condition.
Lawsuits have claimed that popular baby formula brands like Enfamil and Similac failed to warn their customers about the possible risks associated with feeding their products to premature infants.
Lawyers continue to accept new cases as the MDL bellwethers inch closer to starting.
Editor Lindsay Donaldson contributed to this article.