Abbott Laboratories and the FDA have agreed on a roadmap to open its troubled baby formula plant, but the company says it will be more than a month before the move can have any effect on the market.
The closure of the Abbott formula plant in Sturgis, Mich., contributed to a nationwide shortage of infant formula that has reached crisis proportions. The plant was closed down in February after evidence of microbial contamination was discovered there.
On May 16, the FDA and Abbott announced a consent decree to get the plant up and running. The plant could resume operations in two weeks if a court approves, although Abbott issued a statement saying it would be six to eight weeks before new supplies of Similac and other products would reach retail shelves.
The FDA also confirmed on Monday that it is relaxing regulations to allow easier imports of baby formula from overseas. Nestlé announced that it would fly extra shipments of formula into the U.S. from Switzerland and Holland.
