Abbott Laboratories has been ordered to pay $53 million in a preterm infant formula trial. The verdict follows allegations that Abbott's cow's milk-based formula products can cause necrotizing enterocolitis, or NEC, which causes the death of bowel tissue and has an estimated mortality rate of over 20%. Four families' lawsuits were consolidated for trial and the jury will decide on the amount Abbott must pay in punitive damages. Abbott has denied allegations that the products, which it claims are essential for premature babies when their mothers cannot produce enough breast milk, cause NEC. The American Academy of Pediatrics has supported the appeal of the verdict, stating that formula is part of the standard of care for these infants.