The samples matched those being tested by regulators and, using their methods, found no Cronobacter, a kind of environmental bacterium that can be fatal, Mead Johnson said in a statement.
Two babies tested positive this month for Cronobacter, including a newborn in Lebanon, Mo., who died. That prompted retailers, including Walmart, Kroger and Walgreen, to remove the baby formula from shelves. The other baby became sick, but survived.
Chris Perille, a spokesman for Mead Johnson, said the company had tested the same batch of formula as public health authorities. The negative test for Cronobacter confirmed results the company got before it shipped the batch of Enfamil Premium Newborn powdered formula.
“We hold samples of every batch,” he said on Sunday in a telephone interview. “There’s only one batch of one product that’s being checked out.”
Mr. Perille said that Mead Johnson had not been given a time frame for when the F.D.A. and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would finish their reviews, which probably include water samples and other environmental tests.
No other “serious” complaints have been reported related to the batch of Enfamil Premium Newborn that was being tested, he said.
The “Enfa” brands, which include Enfamil, accounted for 79 percent of Mead Johnson’s $3.14 billion in 2010 revenue and were the world’s leading brand franchise in pediatric nutrition based on retail sales, the company said in a filing in February.
The company said all of its infant formula products undergo more than 2,300 tests and checks to ensure they meet standards set by the World Health Organization and the F.D.A.
Mead Johnson shares fell 5 percent Friday, after falling 10 percent Thursday when Walmart withdrew the formula from its shelves.
Article source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=61b2563529a8c6ae3a1ec923e289314a
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