The federally funded Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program strongly supports physicians’ efforts to promote breastfeeding and offers breastfeeding coordinators available across North Carolina. WIC also provides infant formula, and receives many requests for special formulas. Recently, there have been a number of requests for certain standard milk or soy-based formulas that are not available through NC WIC.
If you have a WIC patient who is not tolerating the Similac Advance, Stage 1 or the Similac Soy Isomil, an alternative is to prescribe WIC Program Medical Documentation (using the WIC Program Medical Documentation form) an exempt infant formula best suited to the infant’s tolerance. Examples include but are not limited to Alimentum, Pregestimil or Nutramigen.
Please be advised that other standard milk- or soy-based infant formulas including, but not limited to, Enfamil Gentlease, Similac Sensitive, Similac Total Care and Similac for Spit Up are not available for issuance through NC WIC. The current contract infant formula in the WIC Program is with Abbott. Only the standard products that provide 20 calories per ounce from Similac are allowed, 19 calorie per ounce products are not approved for issuance.
If you run in to issues, contact the WIC Director at the office serving your community or the WIC State office at (919) 707-5800.
