Abbott Nutrition is back to manufacturing Similac, its leading baby formula product, and the company said Aug. 26 it expects to provide it to buyers by mid-October.
Earlier this summer, the infant formula maker resumed its production of EleCare, one of the three formula products part of the recall that caused a monthslong shortage. Similac will be in production again at Abbott's facility in Sturgis, Mich., which reopened June 4, shut down for a few days because of a severe storm's flood, then reopened again June 15.
In an investigation, the FDA said it didn't find a link between Abbott's formula made at the Sturgis plant and two infant deaths. In June, the FDA opened a second probe about another child's death.
"We know that the nationwide infant formula shortage has been difficult for the families we serve, and while restarting Similac production in Michigan is an important milestone, we won't rest until this product is back on shelves," Robert Ford, Abbott's CEO, said in a statement.
Though pockets of the formula shortage persist, the national supply appears to be improving. As of Aug. 25, the White House has planned 20 missions for Operation Fly Formula, and Abbott said its August formula supply exceeded 2021 levels before the shortage sprung up in February.