Infant formula maker Abbott says it's reached an agreement with U.S. health officials to restart production at its largest domestic factory, a key step toward easing a nationwide shortage.
Abbott did not immediately detail the terms of the agreement reached with the Food and Drug Administration, which has been investigating safety problems at the Michigan facility. The consent decree is a binding legal agreement between the company and the federal government.
After production resumes, Abbott has said it will take at least eight weeks to begin shipping new products to stores. The Biden administration has come under intense pressure over the last week to do more to ease the shortage of formula.
Robert B. Ford, chairman and chief executive officer for Abbott said in astatement, "Our number one priority is getting infants and families the high-quality formulas they need, and this is a major step toward re-opening our Sturgis facility so we can ease the nationwide formula shortage. We look forward to working with the FDA to quickly and safely re-open the facility."
Ford said, "We know millions of parents and caregivers depend on us and we're deeply sorry that our voluntary recall worsened the nationwide formula shortage. We will work hard to re-earn the trust that moms, dads and caregivers have placed in our formulas for more than 50 years."