{"id":448187,"date":"2022-05-17T02:50:37","date_gmt":"2022-05-16T23:50:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/why-its-taking-so-long-to-fix-the-baby-formula-shortage\/"},"modified":"2022-05-17T02:50:37","modified_gmt":"2022-05-16T23:50:37","slug":"why-its-taking-so-long-to-fix-the-baby-formula-shortage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-its-taking-so-long-to-fix-the-baby-formula-shortage\/","title":{"rendered":"#Why it&#8217;s taking so long to fix the baby formula shortage"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3a0e8a097c1\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3a0e8a097c1\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/why-its-taking-so-long-to-fix-the-baby-formula-shortage\/#%E2%80%9CWhy_its_taking_so_long_to_fix_the_baby_formula_shortage%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Why it&#8217;s taking so long to fix the baby formula shortage&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CWhy_its_taking_so_long_to_fix_the_baby_formula_shortage%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Why it&#8217;s taking so long to fix the baby formula shortage&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>Who\u2019s to blame for the baby-formula shortage and why is it taking so long to fix the problem?<\/p>\n<p>There are no easy answers, but there are a lot of important ones \u2014 and many of them ratchet all the way up to the Oval Office.<\/p>\n<p>The shortage\u2019s im<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>te cause was grossly inadequate safety protocols on the part of a major manufacturer, Abbott Nutrition. The Food and Drug Administration inspected the Michigan facility in February, uncovered inexcusable safety lapses and closed it \u2014 and rightly so.<\/p>\n<p>The bad <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a> is that from February until now is not a long time in manufacturing remediation. Before the FDA could oversee corrective measures, the agency had to spend weeks identifying everything that needed remediation. (A whistleblower has accused Abbott of purposefully hiding manufacturing problems from the FDA.)<\/p>\n<p>Abbott and the FDA had to develop a plan to address all the deficiencies \u2014 a few more weeks. Then they needed a plan to address the safety and quality issues. Finally, once that was in place, the hard work of fixing the problems \u2014 including Abbott\u2019s culture of noncompliance \u2014 could begin.<\/p>\n<p>The FDA made the right regulatory move. It then contacted the remaining large baby formula manufacturers and asked them to ramp up production. That\u2019s one reason the shortage isn\u2019t worse.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/baby-formula-plant-01-1.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"A sign stand next to a small amount of toddler nutritional drink mix at Target in Stevensville, Maryland, on May 16, 2022.\" class=\"wp-image-22293098\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/baby-formula-plant-01-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/baby-formula-plant-01-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/baby-formula-plant-01-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>It could take weeks after the plant reopens for products to find their way back on shelves.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>But it should have also begun developing a plan to allow for the importation of baby formula manufactured in other countries \u2014 something the FDA has only just begun putting into place.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignright\">\n    <\/aside>\n<p>A key question is: What did the White House know and when did it know it? Considering that it took President Joe Biden more than a year to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>oint a new FDA commissioner, we can surmise that the agency and its many issues weren\u2019t at the top of his or his team\u2019s agenda. That\u2019s an inexcusable mistake considering the FDA regulates about a third of the US economy and is a major player in our COVID-19 battle. Despite some light media coverage in February, it\u2019s unlikely the president\u2019s team even knew about the baby-formula situation before it became a national crisis.<\/p>\n<p>An attentive White House should have recognized shortages were coming and aggressively communicated the situation to American parents while empowering the FDA to work with major retailers to avoid product panic buying by parents and hoarding by Internet price gougers (who should be named, shamed and hung up by their thumbs). Such advance warning would have allowed parents to better prepare and the go-to professionals (especially pediatricians) to get up to speed on the best advice of dos and don\u2019ts.<\/p>\n<p>The White House should have been transparent early and often about the shortages that were likely to come and what it was doing to address the situation. The first time parents became aware of the crisis was when they were confronted by empty shelves. Panic ensued.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/AP22136801323392.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"President Joe Biden applauds as he hosts a reception for Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, May 16, 2022.\" class=\"wp-image-22293142\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/AP22136801323392.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2048 2048w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/AP22136801323392.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/AP22136801323392.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/AP22136801323392.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Some politicians have publicly called on President Joe Biden to invoke the Defense Production Act to reverse the US shortage on baby formula.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">AP\/Susan Walsh<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This isn\u2019t rocket <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a>. One of the key COVID lessons is the need for regular and truthful communications with the public. This lesson went unheeded. The White House and the FDA could have stepped up and been seen as both teacher and expert on the job for the public health \u2014\u00a0an unfortunate missed chance to build trust and credibility.<\/p>\n<p>What about the Defense Production Act? The White House say it\u2019s \u201cconsidering it,\u201d but that\u2019s a canard. You can\u2019t insist that, say, milk plants begin producing baby formula. It\u2019s not like having <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">General<\/a> Motors stop making cars and start making tanks.<\/p>\n<p>Another question is why Abbott, no small-potatoes neophyte to FDA manufacturing regulations, allowed such a dismal state of affairs in the first place. Asked year after year to do more with less, it\u2019s not surprising some manufacturers are letting their regulatory standards slide. Proper compliance is expensive. This isn\u2019t an excuse, but it does point to a solution: more regular and robust (and surprise) FDA inspections.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/baby-formula-shortage-03-1.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"The Abbott manufacturing facility in Sturgis, Michigan, on May 13, 2022.\" class=\"wp-image-22293112\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/baby-formula-shortage-03-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/baby-formula-shortage-03-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/baby-formula-shortage-03-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>The Abbott plant was shut down after four babies who ingested its baby formula were hospitalized.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">EFF KOWALSKY\/AFP via Getty Images<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Abbott\u2019s situation was predictable according to the broken-windows theory of regulation. Infrequent oversight initially results in small breaches of good manufacturing practices. They accumulate and bad things happen. Will forthcoming congressional hearings address this and increase the agency\u2019s inspection budget? The White House should propose these solutions before hearings commence.<\/p>\n<p>But there\u2019s an even bigger issue here. Baby formula is a consolidated industry with only a handful of large players. When one plant goes offline, shortages follow. This is also true on the FDA\u2019s drug and device sides for crucial products such as IV tubing, hospital sterile injectable products and insulin. The FDA must review all such consolidated products and develop a strategy should a major producer become unable to keep its plant open due to \u201cact of God\u201d circumstances such as storms, earthquakes \u2014 or acts of terrorism.\u00a0The agency\u2019s food side could learn a lot from the many steps other FDA centers have made to ensure quality and mitigate shortages.<\/p>\n<p>Not surprisingly, the baby-formula shortage has devolved into a cudgel to beat both the FDA and President Biden. There\u2019s plenty of blame to go around. That\u2019s politics. But this is an opportunity to identify and fix bigger public-health issues. Shortages happen. Shortages of planning must not.<\/p>\n<p><em>Peter J. Pitts, a former FDA associate commissioner, is president of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest.<\/em>\n                        <\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more News articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/05\/16\/why-its-taking-so-long-to-fix-the-baby-formula-shortage\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Why it&#8217;s taking so long to fix the baby formula shortage&#8221; Who\u2019s to blame for the baby-formula shortage and why is it taking so long to fix the problem? There are no easy answers, but there are a lot of important ones \u2014 and many of them ratchet all the way up to the Oval&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":448188,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/05\/baby-formula-shortage-04-2.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[129188,70292,8013,74873,991],"class_list":["post-448187","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-5-16-22","tag-babies","tag-baby","tag-fda","tag-joe-biden"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=448187"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448187\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/448188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=448187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=448187"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=448187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}