Executives from Abbott Nutrition and other major formula companies have agreed to testify before the House Energy and Commerce Committee on the root causes of the nationwide formula shortage.
The president of Abbott will represent the company at the meeting.
At a news conference on Tuesday, Pelosi called the infant deaths "sinful." She and Energy and Commerce Chair Frank Pallone floated the possibility of indictments, without providing details. CriminalNegligence could be the cause of the contamination.
Four children were sick by cronobacter. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention closed its investigation of the outbreak last week, and no more cases of children being sick by formula have been reported.
Abbott said its products are not to blame for illnesses and deaths. On a call with reporters Monday evening, top Food and Drug Administration officials said it was too early to tell. The company did not respond to a request for comment on Tuesday.
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, as well as Scott Fitz and Robert Cleveland, will testify next week. Califf is scheduled to testify on Thursday.
On the same day that the hearing announcement was made, House Democrats proposed giving the FDA $28 million in emergency funding to address the shortage of infant formula in the US.
The legislation is on the fast track for a vote in the House. Democrats argued that the increased inspection funding will boost supplies by speeding up the process of getting FDA approval for new domestic and international plants.
Biden Rushes to Free Up Baby Formula Constraints as Uproar Grows.
The Democrats plan to vote on a bill that would allow the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, known as WIC, to relax some regulations on purchases using program benefits.
The Biden administration and Democratic lawmakers have rushed to increase supplies in the face of a nationwide shortage.
The funding bill aims to reduce fraudulent products, improve data on the formula marketplace, and prevent a repeat of the Abbott plant closing. The facility will be reopened after an agreement was reached between the company and federal health officials.
Parents and caretakers across the country need our help now. The bill takes important steps to restore supply in a safe and secure manner.
In April, DeLauro said she had a report from a former employee at the Abbott plant who claimed that the company hid information during an FDA audit. The company retaliated against employees who raised concerns about the practices at the plant, according to the whistle blower.
The FDA opened the US market to more types of formula imports.
I am disappointed that these actions do not do enough to make sure the formula FDA imports is safe for consumers. She said that the administration is opening the door to any company that self-identifies its formula as safe.
The additional FDA spending is opposed by House Republicans.
The bill fails to solve the acute shortage and is a blank check for the FDA, according to the top Republican on the Appropriations Committee. She said that the bill doesn't direct the FDA to come up with a plan to increase supply and doesn't use $1 billion in Agriculture Department funds that could be used to improve supply.
She said that the people who caused the problem were the ones they were asking to fix.
With assistance from Fiona Rutherford.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
