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Abbott Faces Trial Over Claims That Preterm Infant Formula Caused Dangerous Disease
Similac baby formula maker Abbott (ABT.N) is expected to face a trial on Monday over claims that its formula for preterm infants used in neonatal intensive care units causes a potentially deadly bowel disease, the second trial out of hundreds of similar lawsuits in the United States.
Lawyers for the company and for Illinois resident Margo Gill will make their opening statements to jurors in St. Louis, Missouri, and the trial is expected to last most of the rest of the month. Gill alleges in the lawsuit that her premature infant child developed necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) as a result of being fed Abbott’s products for premature babies.
NEC, which causes the death of bowel tissue, mostly affects newborns and has a fatality rate of between 15% and 40%. Gill’s child survived, but suffers long-term health problems, according to the lawsuit.
Bird Flu Snapshot: Live H5N1 Virus Grown From Raw Milk Samples as Delaware Moves to Legalize Its Sale
Last week, following an unusually udder pun-laden discussion, lawmakers in Delaware voted to become the latest state to legalize the sale of raw milk. Not part of the discussion was the fact that an ongoing outbreak of H5N1 bird flu in U.S. dairy cattle has scientists increasingly concerned that the virus could be transmitted to humans through raw milk.
While there have not yet been any confirmed human cases of bird flu transmission as a result of raw milk consumption, with the number of affected herds continuing to rise — the figure hit 141 in 12 states at the end of last week — public health officials worry it’s just a matter of time. (The USDA’s count was 140 on Friday, which did not include the latest detection in Iowa.)
Results of a recently released study conducted by the Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Department of Agriculture show that commercial pasteurization techniques effectively reduce the virus in milk to undetectable levels. But the study — which was released as a preprint, meaning it has not yet been peer-reviewed — also found an alarming amount of infectious virus is getting off of farms in contaminated milk.
In Colorado — where one-quarter of the state’s dairy herds have been impacted by H5N1— state health authorities announced Wednesday the nation’s fourth human case of bird flu infection linked to the current outbreak. In a statement, health officials said the infected individual is an adult male farmworker who had mild symptoms, reporting only conjunctivitis, or pink eye, and has since recovered.
Nutrition Companies, Parents Clash in Court Over Cause of Infant Intestinal Disease
Chance Dean was alive for just 25 days. Yet his tragic story has reverberated in hospitals around the country, impacted the stock price of two multinational corporations, and ignited a high-stakes legal clash over a pernicious disease that kills hundreds of babies a year in the United States.
Doctors diagnosed Chance with necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC, pronounced “neck”), a devastating illness of the intestines that primarily affects premature infants. The disease led to three urgent surgeries in an unsuccessful effort to save his life.
Four years later, a photograph of Chance — in a tiny blue knit cap — was displayed for jurors as “Plaintiff’s Exhibit 887” at the St. Clair County Courthouse in Belleville, Illinois. Watson alleged in a civil lawsuit that Chance’s NEC developed because of the switch from donor breast milk to a cow’s milk-based formula made by Mead Johnson, a global pediatric nutrition company.
After a three-week trial, the jury decided that the company was negligent and had failed to adequately warn Watson that the incidence of NEC is higher in formula-fed premature babies. The jury awarded Watson $60 million to compensate for her loss and for the suffering Chance endured.
It’s Time to Embrace a New Era of Gene-Edited Food
At first, it seemed like a 28 square-meter plot of Arborio rice in Italy was a symbol of changing attitudes toward genetically engineered food. Instead, it’s shown us that the debate is well and truly alive.
Scientists used CRISPR-Cas9, a precision gene-editing technique, to create a variety of risotto rice potentially resistant to Pyricularia oryzae, a pathogenic fungus that leads to rice blast disease. Italy’s first outdoor experiment of the crop was launched in mid-May after rules were loosened to allow such a study, but disaster struck on June 21, when scientists arrived to find most of the plants torn up or mown down.
Some of the rice has begun to recover after being replanted, but lead scientist Vittoria Brambilla has said that the experiment has now “lost its scientific value.” Nobody has taken responsibility for the vandalism, but the message is clear: Genetic engineering remains extremely contentious in Europe.
Wastewater Viable for Growing Lettuce in Hydroponic Systems, New Research Shows
Wastewater from aquaponics has the potential to be used for growing lettuce in hydroponic systems, according to a new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
The finding could help in creating a circular ecosystem for organic waste recycling and food production, the study noted.
The study highlights the possibility of using aquaponic effluents to supplement or even replace standard liquid fertilizers. However, at this stage, more work is needed to ensure the right combination of wastewater to provide adequate nutrition for hydroponic crop production.
Davidson’s research team will also address food safety issues, as some sources of wastewater may contain heavy metals that are toxic to humans.
