The FDA has filed legal action against Medtronic, Inc., and two of the company’s officers, S. Omar Ishrak and Thomas M. Tefft, for repeatedly failing to correct violations, related to the manufacture of Synchromed II Implantable Infusion Pump Systems, medical devices that deliver medication to treat primary or metastatic cancer, chronic pain and severe spasticity.
The consent decree cites violations of the quality system regulation for medical devices, which requires manufacturers to have processes in place to assure that the design, manufacture and distribution of a device allows for its safe use.
These violations occurred at the company’s Neuromodulation facilities in Columbia Heights, MN, where the devices are manufactured, according to the FDA.
The legal action requires the company to stop manufacturing, designing and distributing new Synchromed II Implantable Infusion Pump Systems except in very limited cases, such as when a physician determines that the Synchromed II Implantable Infusion Pump System is medically necessary for a patient’s treatment.
It also requires Medtronic to retain a third-party expert to help develop and submit plans to the FDA to correct violations. The consent decree will remain in effect until the FDA has determined that Medtronic has met all the provisions listed in the consent decree.
Between 2006 and 2013, FDA investigators conducted five inspections at Medtronic’s Neuromodulation facilities, resulting in three warning letters notifying the company of major violations. T
The violations included inadequate processes for identifying, investigating, and correcting quality problems with the Synchromed II Implantable Infusion Pump Systems; failure to document design changes; and failure to ensure that finished products meet design specifications.
