Judge approves $110M settlement over E-Ferol, vitamin supplement linked to 40 infant deaths

Judge approves $110M settlement in E-Ferol case

DALLAS — A judge has approved a $110 million class-action settlement in a case involving a vitamin supplement linked to the deaths of dozens of premature infants in the 1980s.

A U.S. District judge in Texas approved the settlement Friday against the manufacturer and distributor of E-Ferol.

The intravenous vitamin E supplement was administered without federal approval as a way to prevent or reduce blindness in premature babies. Federal officials have linked it to 40 deaths.

Attorney Art Brender represented 369 plaintiffs. He said Saturday that E-Ferol was recalled in 1984. It was on the market for about four months.

Carter-Glogau Laboratories and O’Neal, Jones & Feldman Pharmaceuticals are no longer operating. Their attorney says liability insurance will pay the settlement.