Abbott could restart infant formula production at Michigan plant in two weeks

(Reuters) -Abbott Laboratories said on Wednesday it could restart production of infant formula at its troubled Michigan facility within two weeks.

The company in February recalled some baby formulas, including certain Similac products, made at the plant in Sturgis after complaints about bacterial infections in infants who had consumed the products.

Abbott will restart production of EleCare, Alimentum and metabolic formulas first, followed by Similac and other brands, after receiving the go-ahead from the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

Once production is resumed, it will take six to eight weeks before the product returns to shelves.

Abbott is the leading supplier of milk formula in the United States and the recall has driven a shortage across the country, forcing many leading retailers to limit purchases.

The FDA has said it is working with manufacturers to alleviate supply issues and that several companies are at or over capacity.

(Reporting by Mrinalika Roy in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini Ganguli and Devika Syamnath)