Source: https://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2014/ucm433090.htm
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 15:48:17+00:00

Document:
During an inspection of your firm, Customed Inc., located at Calle Igualdad Final #7, Fajardo, Puerto Rico on July 14 through July 31, 2014, investigators from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined that your firm is a manufacturer of medical devices, including convenience packs for surgical procedures. Under section 201(h) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act), 21 U.S.C. 321(h), these products are devices because they are intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions or in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, or are intended to affect the structure or function of the body.
This inspection disclosed that these devices are adulterated within the meaning of section 501(h) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 351(h), in that the methods used in, or the facilities or controls used for, their manufacture, packing, storage, or installation are not in conformity with the Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) requirements of the Quality System Regulation (QSR) found in Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.), Part 820.
We acknowledge receipt of your firm’s response on August 21, 2014, from Mr. Hector Agosto, General Manager and a response update on September 8, 2014. These documents address the observations noted on Form FDA 483, List of Inspectional Observations that was issued at the closing of our inspection on July 31, 2014. The document was issued to Mr. Hector Agosto; however, you participated in the closing meeting via conference call. We address your responses below, in relation to each of the noted violations.
c. Your firm has provided installation and operational qualification protocols for (b)(4). The data provided appears to contain factual errors such as, (b)(4). Therefore, it’s not possible to effectively determine whether the data provided is sufficient to support the (b)(4) qualification and sealing process validation.
We reviewed your firm’s response dated August 21, 2014, and it’s not adequate. While your firm initiated Corrective Action and Preventive Action (CAPA) (b)(4) to perform an EtO sterilization Soft Cycle (b)(4) and committed to generate a protocol that follows the new Revision of ISO 11135: (R) 2014, your firm’s response is deficient, because it failed to address each of these issues and it’s unclear whether the protocol was developed and fully implemented, and which requirements from ISO 11135 will be in the new requalification protocol. The corrective action does not describe the specific sterilization process that will be used to sterilize medical devices and kits after requalification of the EtO Sterilization Soft cycle. In addition, the corrective action does not describe how the sterilization cycles are validated and revalidated to ensure a Sterility Assurance Level (SAL) (b)(4). We reviewed your firm’s response and conclude that it is not adequate. Your firm’s response dated August 21, 2014, did not address item “c”.
2. Failure to establish and maintain procedures for implementing corrective and preventive action, as required by 21 CFR 820.100(a). Your firm has not implemented and recorded corrective actions needed to correct and prevent identified quality problems. For example, CAPA (b)(4) was opened after receiving complaint (b)(4) related to saline bottles contained within the (b)(4). Your firm determined that a suitable alternative was required as substitute item. However, your firm did not identify a corrective action to retrospectively review all components subjected to Customed sterilization cycle to determine suitability and compatibility with the sterilization cycle parameters. Your firm’s response dated August 21, 2014, did not address this concern.
a. The individual observing the alleged device defect (i.e. physician/nurse/end-user) was not recorded in the following complaint numbers: (b)(4), and (b)(4).
b. The specific details of the reported incident were not recorded, including, whether the device was being used for treatment or diagnosis and any adverse consequences to the end-user was not recorded in the following complaint numbers: (b)(4), and (b)(4).
Your firm’s response dated August 21, 2014, is not adequate. Your firm initiated CAPA (b)(4), but failed to provide for review the revised Complaint Handling Procedure, (b)(4), and evidence of its implementation, such as training records, documentation of complaints initiated, handled and investigated under the revised procedures. Further, it appears that your firm did not consider performing a retrospective review of complaint investigations to determine if information was properly recorded or missing, or if an additional corrective action was required.
4. Failure to validate the defined user needs and intended uses of the (b)(4) used as part of the quality system according to an established protocol, as required by 21 CFR 820.70(i). Specifically, your firm implemented (b)(4) to track product inventory (incoming materials, finished/released products and quarantine items), however the software was not validated. In addition, the status of lots of finished products and incoming materials in the warehouse failed to match the (b)(4) system inventory.
Your firm’s response dated August 21, 2014, is not adequate. Your firm initiated CAPA (b)(4) to prepare a software validation protocol, however, you failed to initiate a corrective action to identify and address pertinent quality system and production software that have not been appropriately validated. Further, your firm failed to provide the executed (b)(4) validation protocol and summary report for review.
5. Failure to ensure that device packaging and shipping containers are designed and constructed to protect the device from alteration or damage during the customary conditions of processing, storage, handling, and distribution, as required by 21 CFR 820.130. For example, your firm has not adequately demonstrated that the terminally sterile medical packaging and product can withstand the rigors of transit, handling and storage environments without compromising the sterility of the pack, product features and performance. Your firm provided shipping validation documents conducted June 2006 that included products packaged in trays or breather bags including convenience packs intended for cardiovascular and ophthalmic surgeries. Review of the shipping validation protocol demonstrated that your firm performed EtO validation using the outside cardboard shipping containers in June 2006, but did not perform validation of the inside convenience packages after the EtO Sterilization process in order to verify the integrity of the packages.
Your firm’s response dated August 21, 2014, is not adequate. Your firm committed to (b)(4) products; however, it was found deficient because you did not consider the stability or shelf life of the sterile barrier that the devices and kits are packaged in. Additionally, packaging and shipping validation protocols, describing the testing to be performed to demonstrate the sterility and stability of the packaged device was not compromised after manufacturing and distribution, were not submitted including a timeline for implementation of corrective and preventive measures.
6. Failure to establish and maintain requirements for the health, cleanliness, personal practices, and clothing of personnel if contact between such personnel and product or environment could reasonably be expected to have an adverse effect on product quality, as required by 21 CFR 820.70(d). For example, your firm did not establish gowning requirements for the manufacture of finished product to minimize bioburden or particulate contamination of the device. Employees were observed assembling sterile and non-sterile convenience kits without gloves.
Your firm’s response dated August 21, 2014, is not adequate. Your firm initiated CAPA (b)(4) and committed to utilize an external resource to conduct a manufacturing evaluation to determine additional controls for employee gowning, product handling and environmental controls, however the CAPA failed to identify and provide an immediate interim correction that addresses bioburden and particulate concerns of sterile and non-sterile convenience kits. Additionally, your firm has not provided evidence of the additional controls identified by your external resource or the implementation of such proposed corrective actions.
open windows and doors, without screens to protect against entry of pests.
Your firm’s response dated August 21, 2014, is not adequate. Your firm initiated CAPA (b)(4) on April 08, 2014, following an internal audit observation to address material review board and quarantine area congestion as well as untimely nonconforming product disposition. However, the additional action items that were added to the corrective action plan during the inspection were not adequate.
No evidence has been provided to show that repair of water leaks in the ceiling and along the wall, resulting in the presence of mold, has been performed or scheduled.
Additionally, your firm failed to provide evidence that deteriorated, damaged, discontinued, and expired products were removed from active inventory. Further, your firm has not completed and submitted evidence of implementation of its identified corrective actions, to include but not limited to, new/revised SOPs, to prevent mix-ups, and to assure orderly handling.
Our inspection also demonstrated that the sterile/non-sterile convenience kits are misbranded under Section 502(t)(2) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 352(t)(2), in that your firm failed or refused to furnish material or information regarding the devices required by Section 519 of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360i, and 21 CFR Part 803 - Medical Device Reporting (MDR).
Failure to adequately develop, maintain and implement written MDR procedures, as required by 21 CFR 803.17. We reviewed your firm’s MDR procedure titled “Complaint Handling Procedure SOP (b)(4)”, dated 4/14/2010, and “MDR Analysis (b)(4)”. Both documents were collectively considered as your firm’s MDR procedure.
a. The procedure does not include definitions for the terms: “become aware,” “caused or contributed,” “malfunction,” “MDR reportable event,” and “serious injury,” found in 21 CFR 803.3, and the definition for the term “reasonably suggests”, found in CFR 803.20(c)(1). The exclusion of the definitions for these terms from the procedure may lead your firm to make an incorrect reportability decision when evaluating a complaint that may meet the criteria for reporting under 21 CFR 803.50(a).
a. The procedure does not include or refer to instructions on how to obtain and complete the FDA 3500A Form.
b. The circumstances under which your firm must submit initial 30 day, supplemental or follow-up, and 5 day reports and the requirements for such reports.
c. The procedure does not include the address for where to submit MDR reports: FDA, CDRH, Medical Device Reporting, P. O. Box 3002, Rockville, MD 20847-3002.
d. Systems that ensure access to information that facilitates timely follow-up and inspection by FDA.
The adequacy of your firm’s response dated August 21, 2014, cannot be determined at this time. Your firm’s response states that corrective actions are planned and will be implemented in September and October of 2014. However, until we receive evidence that the changes were implemented, we cannot make an assessment with respect to adequacy.
Our review of the Laparotomy packs demonstrated that Customed Inc. manufactures Laparotomy packs with device components (b)(4). These device components are Class II devices under 21 CFR 878.4400, and require a premarket notification unless one or more of the following conditions are met: (1) the component is a legally marketed preamendment device, (2) the component is exempt from premarket notification, or (3) the component has been found to be substantially equivalent through the premarket notification process. Your firm did not provide enough information for FDA to determine if any of those conditions apply.
Your Laparotomy packs are adulterated under section 501(f)(1)(B) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 351(f)(1)(B), because your firm does not have an approved application for premarket approval (PMA) in effect pursuant to Section 515(a) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360e(a), or an approved application for an investigational device exemption (IDE) under Section 520(g) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360j(g). The device is also misbranded under Section 502(o) the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 352(o), because your firm did not notify the agency of its intent to introduce the device into commercial distribution, as required by Section 510(k) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360(k) and the devices did not meet the exception under 21 CFR 807.81(b)(1).
Under Section 510 of the Act (21 U.S.C. § 360), manufacturers of medical devices are required to annually register with the FDA. In September 2007, Section 510 of the Act was amended by the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-85) to require domestic and foreign device establishments to submit their annual establishment registration and device listing information to FDA by electronic means [Section 510(p) of the Act (21 U.S.C. § 360(p))] during the period beginning October 1st and ending December 31st of each year. Our records indicate that your firm has not fulfilled annual registration and listing requirements for fiscal year 2014.
Therefore, all of your firm’s devices are misbranded within the meaning of Section 502(o) of the Act (21 U.S.C. § 352(0)), in that the devices were manufactured, prepared, propagated, compounded, or processed in an establishment not duly registered under Section 510 of the Act (21 U.S.C. § 360) and were not included in a list required by Section 510(j) of the Act (21 U.S.C. § 360(j)).
You should take prompt action to correct the violations addressed in this letter. Failure to promptly correct these violations may result in regulatory action being initiated by the Food and Drug Administration without further notice. These actions include, but are not limited to, seizure, injunction, and/or civil money penalties. Also, federal agencies are advised of the issuance of all Warning Letters about devices so that they may take this information into account when considering the award of contracts. Additionally, premarket approval applications for Class III devices to which the Quality System Regulation deviations are reasonably related will not be approved until the violations have been corrected. Requests for Certificates to Foreign Governments will not be granted until the violations related to the subject devices have been corrected.
Your firm’s response should be sent to: Director of Compliance Branch, Mr. Edwin Ramos, Food and Drug Administration, San Juan District Office, 466 Fernandez Juncos, San Juan, Puerto Rico 00901. Refer to the Unique Identification Number CMS case # 440230 when replying. If you have any questions about the contents of this letter, please contact: Mrs. Marilyn Santiago, Compliance Officer at (787) 729-8707 or email Marilyn.santiago@fda.hhs.gov.

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