Reckitt said on Friday a circuit court in the United States had ruled that a new trial could be sought by plaintiffs in a case that accused the London-listed firm and Abbott of failing to warn of the risks of premature-infant formulas.

Abbott Laboratories and Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc shares fell as a judge ordered a new trial after rejecting a verdict that had cleared the companies of liability over claims they hid potential risks of their premature-infant formulas.

A Missouri judge has ordered Abbott Laboratories and Reckitt Benckiser unit Mead Johnson to face a new trial over allegations that they failed to warn a mother about the risks of their specialized baby formulas for premature infants,