Similac and Enfamil Baby Formula – Necrotizing Enterocolitis

Baby Formula Lawsuit Regarding Enfamil and Similac Cow-Milk

Do You Qualify for a Legal Claim of Injury or Death for Your Preterm Infant?

The Neumann Law Group is presently investigating claims on behalf of families of premature children diagnosed with Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) as a result of the use of cow’s milk-based baby formula. Parents of premature babies are filing lawsuits across the country against the popular brands Similac and Enfamil and their manufacturers, Abbott Laboratories, Inc. and Mead Johnson and Company.

A baby is considered premature, or preterm, if it is born before 37 weeks of pregnancy. Low birth weight, breathing and feeding difficulties, vision and hearing problems, and developmental delays are just a few of the possible problems that a premature child can face. Parents will make the personal choice to feed their child baby formula or may use it if unable to breastfeed. Many infant formulas are made from cow-milk and studies have shown that use of this type of baby formula put premature infants at a significantly higher risk of forming NEC.

Necrotizing Enterocolitis: What Are These Children Going Through?

Necrotizing Enterocolitis is a bacterial infection of the intestines that causes severe inflammation in the abdomen. NEC can lead to long term digestive issues and can be fatal. The inflammation causes decay of the intestinal walls. This decay of tissue leads to holes in the intestine allowing bacteria and waste to leak into the abdomen and the bloodstream. Once this occurs, the child’s life is in danger due to risk of sepsis—a condition where the body’s attempts to fight infection results in severe damage to its own tissues. A premature baby is not equipped to face these infections or their body’s responses to these infections, and they face a reduced chance of recovery.

Symptoms of NEC include:

• swollen, red, or tender belly
• trouble eating
• food staying in the stomach longer than expected
• constipation
• diarrhea and/or dark or bloody stools
• being less active or lethargic
• a low or unstable body temperature
• green vomit (containing bile)
• apnea (pauses in breathing)
• bradycardia (slowed heart rate)
• hypotension (low blood pressure)

NEC can lead to severe complications that, if not fatal, can be long-lasting and detrimental to the child’s normal development and well-being. Potential outcomes can include:

• Peritonitis (an abdominal infection)
• Narrowing of the intestinal wall, called intestinal stricture
• Short bowel syndrome, that may require a bowel transplant
• Neurodevelopmental problems
• Cerebral palsy
• Organ failure or damage caused by decreased oxygen supply
• Growth failure
• Scarring
• Death

With the challenges that premature infants are already facing, the last thing their loved ones should be concerned with is whether they are providing safe and nutritious food to their child. Similac and Enfamil are well known and trusted brands of infant formula. The manufacturers of these formulas have long advertised their products as safe and healthy.

The Science: What Did Similac and Enfamil Know and When

Since the early 1990s, studies have shown a strong link between cow-milk formula and the development of NEC in premature infants. Repeated studies over the last 30 years, consistently produced the same result. Despite this, Similac and Enfamil, and their manufacturers Abbott Laboratories, Inc. and Mead Johnson and Company, decided not to warn consumers of risks associated with their products and failed to recall these dangerous and deadly formulas. The clear-cut research and warnings from organizations such as the American Academy of Pediatrics still did not persuade Similac and Enfamil to provide these warnings or recall their products.

In 1990, The Lancet, a peer-reviewed medical journal, published a paper following a clinical study which evaluated the link between formula feeding versus breast feeding in premature babies. This study found that those infants fed formula were 6-10 times more likely to develop NEC than those fed only breast milk.

In 2010, a similar study published by The Journal of Pediatrics brought cow’s milk into the picture. This study incredibly found that premature babies receiving only human milk had a 77% reduction in the odds of developing NEC. This was further broken down to a 50% decrease in risk of simply developing NEC and an almost 90% decrease of the risk of NEC resulting in surgical involvement or death.

Despite the overwhelming evidence of the link between their products and NEC in preterm infants, Similac and Enfamil, and their manufacturers, Abbott Laboratories, Inc. and Mead Johnson and Company have failed to act. They have not added warning labels to their products. They have not recalled any of their dangerous products. These decisions were deliberate, likely to avoid negative publicity and for gain of profit. Families and medical professionals have been kept in the dark and put in danger solely for these companies’ pursuit of profit.

Contact the Enfamil and Simalac Attorneys at Neumann Law Group Today

If your child was: 1.) born prematurely; 2.) fed Similac or Enfamil (or any other cow’s milk baby formula); and 3.) diagnosed with Necrotizing Enterocolitis (NEC) we may be able to help.

These cases are still in the very early stages of litigation and new cases are being investigated and filed each week. Neumann Law Group is accepting new claims from all fifty states regarding injuries to premature infants from Similac and Enfamil cow-milk baby formula.

The following Similac and Enfamil baby formulas are popular brands from that contain cow’s milk:

Abbott Laboratories Inc. Cow’s Milk-based Formulas:

• Similac Special care
• Similac NeoSure
• Similac Alimentum
• Similac Alimentum Expert Care
• Similac Liquid Protein Fortifier
• Similac Human Milk Fortifier
• Similac Human Milk Fortifier Hydrolyzed Protein Concentrated Liquid
• Similac Special Care 20
• Similac Special Care 24
• Similac Special Care 24 High Protein
• Similac Special Care 30

Mead Johnson & Company Cow’s Milk-based Formulas:

• Enfacare Powder
• Enfamil NeuroPro Enfacare
• Enfamil Premature 20 Cal
• Enfamil Premature 24 Cal
• Enfamil Premature 24 Cal/fl oz HP
• Enfamil Premature 30 Cal
• Enfamil HMF High Protein
• Enfamil Premium
• Enfamil 24 and DHA & ARA Supplement
• Enfamil Human Milk Fortifier

Contact the injury lawyers at the Neumann Law Group if you feel that you or a loved one have a preterm infant that has experienced the excruciating effects of NEC due to the use of cows-milk formula made by Similac and Enfamil, or other cow-milk formula producer. If so, you may be entitled to monetary damages in addition to compensation for the emotional and financial distress experienced. Please reach out as soon as possible and speak with one of our qualified intake specialists at (800) 525-6386 or complete our online form for a free consultation. We have attorneys in Traverse City, Grand Rapids, and Detroit waiting to assist you in this difficult time and are glad to answer any questions you have.