WARNING LETTER
MG Infusions
MARCS-CMS 696890 —
March 10, 2025
Delivery Method:
VIA Electronic Mail
Reference #:
CBER 25-696890
Product:
Biologics
Recipient:
Recipient Name
Michael Garcia
Recipient Title
Founder
MG Infusions
United States
mginfusions@gmail.com
Issuing Office:
Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER)
United States
WARNING LETTER
March 10, 2025
CBER 25-696890
Dear Mr. Garcia:
This is to advise you that the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reviewed your website at mginfusions.com (last visited March 2025), as well as other information available to the Agency. Your website indicates that you sell fecal microbiota for transplantation (FMT) in various forms (e.g., capsules and enema infusions; hereafter “your products”) in the United States for the treatment or prevention of various diseases or conditions. For example your website states the following:
Homepage, under a title of “What is FMT”
1
o “FMT, also called fecal microbiota transplant, and known as a stool transplant is the process of transplanting fecal bacteria from a healthy individual into a recipient as a treatment for Clostridium difficile infection (C.diff [sic]), C.diff related ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and many others.”
o “Finding a healthy and reliable donor can be challenging for people going through this struggle, but with the help from mginfusions hundreds to thousands of people have already been helped on the road back to a strong and healthy life.”
o “Ideally both forms of administration [capsules and enema infusions] have proven to show significant benefits in removing any types of harmful pathogens, such as c.diff [sic] and ulcerative colitis.”
“About Me” page, under a title of “Donor Information”
o “FMT is used to help people with C.Diff [sic], C.diff related ulcerative colitis, and other harmful intestinal bacteria.”
Because these statements indicate that your products are intended for use in the mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease, they are drugs under section 201(g)(1)(B) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), 21 U.S.C. § 321(g)(1)(B). Your products are also “new drugs” under section 201(p) of the FD&C Act, 21 U.S.C. § 321(p), because they are not generally recognized as safe and effective (GRASE) for their labeled uses. Additionally, your products are biological products as defined in section 351(i) of the Public Health Service Act (PHS Act), 42 U.S.C. § 262(i)] because they are applicable to the prevention, treatment, or cure of a disease or condition of human beings.
2
Please be advised that to lawfully market a drug that is also a biological product, a valid biologics license application (BLA) must be in effect, 42 U.S.C. § 262(a). Such licenses are issued only after a demonstration that the product is safe, pure, and potent. A biological product for which a BLA has been approved under 42 U.S.C. § 262(a) is not required to have an approved application under section 505 of the FD&C Act, 21 U.S.C. § 355; 42 U.S.C. § 262(j). Otherwise, with certain exceptions not applicable here, a new drug may not be introduced or delivered for introduction into interstate commerce without an approved application from FDA in effect, as described in 21 U.S.C. § 355(a). While in the development stage, such products may be distributed for clinical use in humans if the sponsor has an investigational new drug application (IND) in effect as specified by FDA regulations, 21 U.S.C. § 355(i); 42 U.S.C. § 262(a)(3); 21 CFR Part 312.
Your products are not the subject of an approved BLA or an approved application under 21 U.S.C. § 355. In addition, there is no IND in effect for their use. Therefore, your products are both unapproved new drugs and unlicensed biological products. Furthermore, the introduction or delivery for introduction into interstate commerce of your products is in violation of the FD&C Act, 21 U.S.C. § 331(d).
In November 2022, FDA issued a revised guidance titled, “Enforcement Policy Regarding Investigational New Drugs Requirements for Use of Fecal Microbiota for Transplantation to Treat Clostridioides difficile Infection Not Responsive to Standard Therapies”. This guidance document indicates that FDA intends to exercise enforcement discretion regarding the IND requirements for the use of FMT in treating
Clostridioides difficile
(
C. difficile
) infection not responding to standard therapies, where, among other things, the stool donor and stool are qualified by screening and testing performed under the direction of the licensed health care provider for the purpose of providing the FMT product to treat his or her patient and use of the FMT product does not raise reported safety concerns or potential significant safety concerns.
Although you offer FMT for treatment of C. difficile infection, you also offer it for the treatment of other conditions such as ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, and other harmful intestinal bacteria. As noted in FDA’s November 2022 guidance, data related to the use and study of FMT to treat diseases or conditions other than C. difficile infection not responding to standard therapies are more limited, and study of FMT for other uses is not included in the aforementioned enforcement policy. Additionally, your website indicates that you, as a donor, ship your products directly to patients for self-administration. Therefore, there is no assurance that a licensed health care provider treating each of these patients is directing the screening and testing of the stool donor and stool for the patient, as described in the November 2022 guidance.
Your products also raise potential significant safety concerns due to inadequate donor screening. For these reasons, your products would not fall within the enforcement discretion policy referenced above.
The violations cited in this letter are not meant to be an all-inclusive list of violations that may exist in connection with your products. You are responsible for promptly investigating and determining the causes of any violations, correcting them, and preventing their recurrence, and ensuring full compliance with the law.
We advise you to comprehensively review your website and other labeling and marketing materials to ensure that you are lawfully marketing your products in full compliance with the FD&C Act, the PHS Act, and their implementing regulations. Failure to adequately address this matter may result in enforcement action without further notice, including, without limitation, seizure and/or injunction.
This letter notifies you of our findings and provides you an opportunity to address the above deficiencies. If you believe that your products are not in violation of the FD&C Act and the PHS Act, include your reasoning and any supporting information for our consideration in your response to this letter.
Within fifteen working days of receipt of this letter, notify FDA in writing of the specific steps that you have taken to correct any violations. Your response should include an explanation of each step being taken to prevent the recurrence of violations as well as related documentation. If you cannot complete all corrective actions within fifteen working days, state the reason for the delay and the date by which you will complete the correction.
Send your electronic response to CBERDCMRecommendations@fda.hhs.gov. If you have questions regarding this letter, contact the Division of Case Management, CBER at (240) 402-9156.
Sincerely,
/S/
Melissa J. Mendoza
Director
Office of Compliance and Biologics Quality
Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research
_____________________
1
This webpage provides links to two of your products under the header “Featured Products.”
2
FMT is a live biotherapeutic product composed of microorganisms. Microorganisms are not human cells or tissues and do not meet the definition of HCT/P. See 21 CFR 1271.3(d).
Content current as of:
03/18/2025
Regulated Product(s)
Biologics