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Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo despatched a letter to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday asking for transparency on the nationwide baby formula shortage.
“As you know the FDA has recently acknowledged the shortage, caused by its warning and recall,” Ladapo wrote to FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, referring to the February recall of baby formula produced by Abbott Nutrition, which makes a majority of the formula consumed within the U.S.
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo and Gov. Ron DeSantis at a news convention in West Palm Beach, Florida on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022.
((Joe Cavaretta/Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service through Getty Images)
He continued, “Time is of the essence to restart production at the Abbott facility, yet the FDA has failed to produce any preliminary findings necessary to begin the reopening process and update the nation on this issue.”
The remembers have been linked to the deaths of two infants who bought bacterial infections after consuming Abbott formula.
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He stated the Florida Department of Health discovered options within the state “in an effort to off-set the shortage caused by the FDA’s lack of oversight, the cost of these alternatives remains high, and the availability is low.”
Ladapo continued, “As a father, doctor, and Surgeon General for the State of Florida, I respectfully request open channels of communication for routine updates on the expected time the supply chain will be impacted and the most viable path to resuming sufficient nationwide formula supplies.”
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The White House on Thursday stated it had taken steps to counter the shortage, “including working with other infant formula manufacturers to increase production, expediting the import of infant formula from abroad, and calling on both online and in store retailers to establish purchasing limits to prevent the possibility of hoarding.”
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It stated, in consequence, extra formula had been produced within the final month than the month earlier than the recall.
An indication telling customers of limits on the acquisition of baby formula hangs on the sting of an empty shelf for the product in a King Soopers grocery retailer, Wednesday, May 11, 2022, in southeast Denver. Parents throughout the nation are struggling to discover baby formula in inventory in shops due to provide chain disruptions mixed with a large security recall.
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The Biden administration additionally stated Thursday it might take extra steps, together with slicing pink tape, asking states attorneys general to crack down on worth gouging and additional rising imports.
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Abbott stated Wednesday its Sturgis, Michigan, plant may reopen throughout the subsequent two weeks, pending FDA approval. The firm stated it might nonetheless be six to eight weeks after the plant reopens till customers see merchandise on cabinets.