First child formulation shipment arrives in U.S. from Europe

WASHINGTON, Might 22 (Reuters) - A army cargo aircraft carrying the first shipment of toddler formulation from Europe to help address a vital scarcity in the USA landed in Indianapolis on Sunday, and the White House stated a second flight had been arranged.

A Feb. 17 recall by prime child components maker Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) and the closing of its manufacturing plant in Sturgis, Michigan during an investigation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has created one of many largest toddler formula shortages in latest history for U.S. families.

"This is a crucial step, but it's by no means the one step that should happen. We'll continue to work as the president has instructed us to look for each opportunity to extend supply," stated Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who greeted the plane on its arrival.

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"This explicit formulation is for a really, very small percentage of kids. Roughly 17,000 kids within the nation basically are the beneficiaries of this particular method," he mentioned.

President Joe Biden's administration is seeking to stock empty shelves with 1.5 million containers of Nestle (NESN.S) specialty toddler formulas. Biden final week invoked the Chilly Warfare-era Protection Production Act to assist increase provides.

The White Home mentioned on Sunday a second flight carrying formula would leave from Ramstein Air Base in Germany in coming days. The White Home stated that Abbott and a second baby components maker, Reckitt , were the first corporations given priority status for raw provides underneath the Protection Manufacturing Act.

Pallets of toddler system being shipped from Europe to the US throughout Operation Fly Method are seen in a transport plane at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, in a photograph released May 22, 2022. The White House/Handout through REUTERS

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Nestle also mentioned extra shipments would arrive within the coming days. learn extra

Troops used forklifts to unload bins of the cargo from the airplane in Indianapolis and onto trucks heading to distribution facilities.The White Home said 78,000 pounds (35,000 kg) of specialty infant formulation - enough for 500,000 bottles - had arrived on the flight.

Abbott, the largest U.S. supplier of powder infant method, closed its Michigan plant following reviews of bacterial infections in four infants, worsening a shortage among a number of producers that began with supply-chain points tied to the coronavirus pandemic.

Abbott Chief Government Robert Ford apologized for the shortage on Sunday and promised to fix it, adding the plant would reopen in the first week of June, and it will take six to eight weeks for merchandise to reach retailer cabinets.

"We're sorry to every household we've let down since our voluntary recall exacerbated our nation’s baby components scarcity," he wrote in a Washington Submit column.

New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams on Sunday declared a state of emergency to stop price gouging of baby components.

"This emergency government order will help us to crack down on any retailer looking to capitalize on this disaster by jacking up costs on this essential good," Adams said in a press release.

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Reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein and Chris Gallagher, extra reporting by Jessica DiNapoli in Davos, Switzerland, Barbara Goldberg in New York and Dan Whitcomb in Los Angeles; Modifying by Ross Colvin, Bill Berkrot, Chris Reese and Paul Simao

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