Abbott traps the recall door: more than 10 cities of multiple families with children ask the truth

Per reporter: Du Wei Ding Zhouyang Per reporter: Duan, Lian

April 18 is the 59th day of anxiety for thousands of parents.

On February 18, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it was investigating complaints of four infants infected with bacteria such as C. sakasaki, including two deaths, all of whom had consumed milk powder products made at Abbott's Sturgis plant in Michigan.

Less than 48 hours later, the General Administration of Customs of China released "Abbott China recalls a special medical product it sold" on its official website, reminding consumers to immediately suspend the consumption of Abbott's "Xikang Baotian" breast milk enhancer.

Premature babies and infants with slower weight gain are often recommended by doctors to use breast milk fortifications to catch up with growth, which should be added to breast milk. According to the World Health Organization, about 15 million premature babies are born each year. Among them, there are about 1 million to 2 million premature babies on the mainland every year, accounting for about 10% of the world's total.

Abbott breast milk enhancer suddenly became a pain in the hearts of many mothers. "I asked myself ten thousand times, if I hadn't given my child Abbott breast milk enhancer, wouldn't I have paid such a heavy price?" Li Chao, the mother of twin babies, wondered why her brother died after taking Abbott breast milk boosters first. Brother during the process of taking several bacterial infections, once life hanging on the line? Does this have anything to do with Abbott breast milk enhancers?

The "Daily Economic News" reporter's investigation found that the suspicion cloud of Abbott breast milk enhancer is not only covering individual families. The reporter searched nearly 20 families in more than ten cities across the country, and more than a dozen babies had different degrees of health problems such as bloating, blood in the stool, and necrosis of the small intestine, and parents suspected that this was related to taking the above recalled products.

A U.S. factory in Abbott was found to be pathogenic bacteria

Abbott, 133, is a giant in the global healthcare field, with a market value of $212 billion, ranking 45th in the "2021 Top 100 Global Listed Companies". According to Euromonitor, Abbott ranked seventh in the "China Infant Formula" with a market share of 6.2% in 2020. Not only milk powder, Abbott has been selling breast milk enhancers in China for many years, and it is also the first choice for many parents to supplement their children's nutrition.

According to Wu Yu, a domestic baby parent, Abbott has a box of breast milk enhancers for 580 yuan, and the child has to eat nearly 9 boxes a month, costing up to more than 5,000 yuan.

Therefore, when they learned that the brand that their children ate was suspected of having "Cronobacter sakazaki" and was investigated by the FDA and the Chinese customs announced that it would be "immediately stopped", Chinese parents could no longer sit still.

On February 18, the FDA disclosed its first investigation into the Sturgis plant, and when reviewing the company's internal records, it was found that Sakazaki Cronobacter was polluting the factory environment and that the company had destroyed products due to the presence of Sakazaki Cronobacterium.

According to the general administration of customs of China, Cranobacter sakazaki may cause meningitis, sepsis or necrotizing colitis in preterm infants, low birth weight infants, and immunocompromised infants, and the mortality rate caused by the disease caused by Sakazaki Cronobacteria can reach 40% to 50%.

According to the FDA's March 22 investigation progress report, Sakazaki Cronobacteria was found in the infant formula production environment and finished milk powder at the Sturgis plant. Abbott China's reply to the Daily Economic News reporter said, "The FDA did not detect the presence of Cronobacterium or Salmonella in any of Abbott's products sold and related retained samples." ”

"Our priority is to continue to ensure that products produced at the plant are recalled and withdrawn from the market." In an interview with the Daily Economic News, the FDA said, "It will continue to investigate Abbott and its factories, and if there is more consumer safety information, it will continue to be updated." ”

At present, the General Administration of Customs of China has publicly stated that it will closely follow up on the progress of the FDA's investigation and inform consumers in a timely manner.

Abbott milk powder recall fermented in the mother and baby market

As the FDA investigation progresses, the Abbott milk powder recall continues to ferment in the maternal and infant market.

Through nearly two months of investigation, the Daily Economic News reporter searched nearly 20 families in more than ten cities across the country, and more than a dozen babies had different degrees of health problems such as bloating, blood in the stool, and necrosis of the small intestine, and even one case of illness and death, which parents suspected was related to taking the above recalled products.

Li Chao, a twin mother in a city in southwest China, told reporters that on the third day of the twins' birth, the small twins with better indicators ate milk first, and the doctor suggested eating breast milk reinforcing agents, and Li Chao purchased Abbott breast milk enhancer nearby, which was sent to the hands of NICU medical staff, and was responsible for feeding by special people.

In the more than ten days of taking, Xiao Shuang, who lived in the incubator, was dying of bacterial infection twice, and finally due to ineffective rescue treatment, Xiao Shuang, who was born less than half a month and did not have the opportunity to meet with his mother, passed away. A month later, Dashuang began to consume Abbott breast milk enhancers and also suffered from bacterial infections. Li Chao wondered, "Both children are bacterial infections, where are there so many bacteria in the incubator?" ”

Heart-wrenching children, families with desperate children, and similar "plots" are still being staged in many cities.

In September 2021, Zhang Chang'an's premature baby in Hunan province was discharged from the hospital at the full moon and fed the child breast milk enhancer according to the doctor's instructions. According to Zhang Chang'an, after eating the second half of the package, only 0.5g of Abbott breast milk enhancer, the baby was short of breath in less than two hours, and after being sent to the hospital, "various blood tests, spinal punctures, my husband and I blamed ourselves for not taking good care of the baby." "On examination, the baby is a bacterial infection.

In October last year, a 30-week premature baby from the Nuofeng family living in a city in Shandong was born. "The baby was 17 days old with Abbott breast milk enhancer, and the next day he was urgently transferred to the hospital and diagnosed with NEC (neonatal necrotizing enterocolitis). The doctor told the child's father to be mentally prepared that NEC has a 50% mortality rate. ”

Also last year, in Beijing, Tian Li's premature baby developed blood in the stool a few days after taking Abbott breast milk enhancer, and was later diagnosed with NEC. "After conservative treatment, intestinal stenosis occurred and colectomy anastomosis was performed. The direct cost of hospital treatment alone is estimated at 150,000 yuan. Tian Li said.

Tong Zhuo's child, due to NEC was removed from the small intestine, the remaining part is less than 50 cm, is now suffering from short bowel syndrome, is still hospitalized, according to Tong Zhuo's preliminary calculations, has incurred medical expenses and other expenses of more than 400,000 yuan.

When looking for Abbott breast milk enhancer families, the reporter learned a number of cases across the country where children's bodies and family economies have been severely damaged. "When it's hardest, we can't pay for the medical bills and borrow money everywhere." Li Chao said that it has cost more than 200,000 yuan to save the big double Li Chao family.

It is difficult for the patient's parents to collect evidence and the request for re-examination is blocked

"The nationwide voluntary recall of Xikang Baotian products is out of consideration for consumer safety, so that consumers are no longer worried, and it is also a responsible behavior of enterprises." Abbott China said in an interview with the Daily Economic News reporter, "As of now, the voluntary recall work has been basically completed, and the products have been successively stored and sealed, and processed in strict accordance with the relevant requirements of the government." ”

Consumers have no way of knowing whether these breast milk enhancers, which have been fully recalled by Abbott China, and what the results of the re-examinations will be. When communicating with Abbott customer service, Tang Ping, a parent, said that she wanted to know whether the recalled products were re-inspected and asked Abbott to provide relevant test reports, but the other party refused.

"Abbott keeps asking me to look for evidence." Zhang Chang'an said that she was about to become a "detective", and her anxiety and helplessness also plagued several other families. Wu Yu told reporters that he consulted 5 institutions successively, but they could not test the breast milk enhancer taken by the child. The reporter also asked a number of testing agencies, but also repeatedly hit a wall.

On the afternoon of April 14, Under the auspices of the local authorities, Li Chao conducted a second mediation with Abbott. Li Chao told reporters that she asked Abbott to re-examine the recalled breast milk intensifier, but the Abbott staff present said that the recalled products had been sealed and no re-inspection samples were provided. In this regard, the competent department personnel present at the scene believed that Li Chao's request for re-inspection was reasonable.

"The people take food as the sky, and food takes safety first." As an internationally renowned brand, Abbott has the obligation and responsibility to re-inspect the recalled products and inform consumers of the results. Wang Silu, a senior food inspector at the state, said in an interview with reporters.

"Newborns are themselves susceptible to NEC, and premature babies are more susceptible to 'high-risk of high-risk'." Shi Yun, a doctor in the Department of Neonatology of Chengdu Women and Children's Central Hospital, said in an interview with reporters that as for attribution, parents cannot argue, and doctors cannot draw conclusions, which is the contradiction and complexity in diagnosis and treatment. "It boils down to just one product, which is obviously not appropriate."

A pediatrician in a top three hospital told reporters that although it is impossible to prove that the product is directly pathogenic, "Abbott needs to show its own attitude and cannot let patients provide proof that it really can't be taken." Follow-up can look at the correlation between cases, such as there are many related events across the country, these correlations are commonalities. ”

The FDA is also inconclusive as to whether infant illness is directly related to the consumption of Abbott products. On April 1, the FDA said in its investigation progress that the specific genetic makeup of Cronobacter sakazaki found in the Sturgis factory environment did not match the case report.

Chen Zixing, a lawyer at Beijing Amber (Chengdu) Law Firm, told reporters that families with serious health problems can directly file infringement lawsuits against the merchants that sell breast milk enhancers and Abbott. Before overseas products enter China, the customs has the right to supervise and spot check the products. For products circulating and sold in China, if there is a problem, consumers can complain to the relevant competent departments of the city where they are located, and "the competent departments have the right to inspect the products after receiving complaints." (Every journalist Xu Libo also contributed to this article.) At the request of the interviewee, the families interviewed in the article are pseudonyms)

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