Neocate Lawsuit

Manufactured by Nutricia North America, Neocate is a formula for children who have allergies or intolerance to traditional milk and soy-based formulas. It has been linked to causing complications in bone growth and development such as:

• Rickets
• Fractures
• Broken bones
• Skeletal deformities and damages
• Stunted Growth
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Hypophosphatemia (low blood phosphate levels)

Neocate is amino-acid based, meaning it does not have “intact protein chains” that typically cause an allergic reaction. The company advertises it as hypoallergenic, as well as “nutritionally complete for infants 0-12 months.”

Parents or caregivers may give Neocate to those who suffer from cow milk allergy (CMA), multiple food allergies (MFA), eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), food protein-induced enterocolitis syndrome (FPIES), short bowel syndrome (SBS), malabsorption, and gastroesophageal reflux (GER).

Neocate makes the following products, and some come in a variety of flavors:

• Neocate Syneo Infant
• Neocate Infant DHA/ARA
• Neocate Nutra
• Neocate Junior
• Neocate Junior with Probiotics
• Neocate Splash

Neocate study shows low blood density

In 2017, a study on Neocate was published in Bone Journal showing a link between Neocate milk and low blood phosphate levels (hypophosphatemia). When this occurs, it causes dangerously low blood density. This may cause skeletal deformities, stunted growth, rickets, or broken bones. The study results indicated nearly 94% of patients who had fractures or rickets improved when they changed to a different formula.

Rickets are caused by a lack of vitamin D with low levels of calcium. When this happens, it can cause complications in the bones. This is especially concerning for small children as their bones are still growing.

Rickets can have many complications for children, especially babies. They may show “floppy” limbs, have uncontrollable muscle spasms, and suffer bones that break easily. They may also develop Harrison’s groove, a horizontal line where the diaphragm meets the ribs.

Toddlers may be bow-legged or knock-kneed, experience unusual pone pain, have a small stature or be underweight. Children who experience the worst of rickets may have problems breathing or seizures. Rickets can cause muscles in the heart to weaken as well.

The conclusion from the study said, “The widespread nature of the findings lead us to strongly recommend careful monitoring of mineral metabolism in children fed EF (elemental formula).”

It is strongly recommended to be supervised by a healthcare provider if taken off Neocate, as severe drops in calcium (hypocalcemia) may develop.

Neocate in the news

In April 2018, a father in Mississippi was blindsided with an investigation by Child Protective Services after his son was found to have multiple fractures on his body.

Bill Elam takes care of his non-verbal son Robbie, 10, who has cerebral palsy, uses a feeding tube and wheelchair. Robbie has suffered many severe health complications in addition to CP, and has spent a great deal of time at the hospital. His only source of nutrition had been with Neocate.

After Robbie was released from the hospital from a stint with pancreatitis, Bill took him to the doctor and found he had a fractured wrist. A few months later, he was perplexed when Robbie was found to have a bone fracture in his left femur.

CPS got involved due to the injuries, which was a terrifying ordeal for Bill. They persistently contacted him with the underlying threat of child abuse, yet Bill had no way of proving why his son was breaking bones.

It was only through happenstance that Bill’s daughter saw an ad on TV indicating Neocate may be the cause of bone fractures. Bill was able to pinpoint why his son was injured so frequently with no explanation.

“If my daughter didn’t see that on that commercial,” Bill said, “they’d have taken my kids away from me … We wouldn’t have known to raise hell about this; to go to Birmingham to get it figured out; to say, ‘Why is my child’s bone fractured?’