WARNING LETTER
The Richline Group, Inc.
MARCS-CMS 712818 —
August 25, 2025
Delivery Method:
VIA Electronic Mail
Product:
Medical Devices
Recipient:
Recipient Name
David E. Radcliffe
Recipient Title
Chief Information Officer
The Richline Group, Inc.
6701 Nob Hill Road
Tamarac
,
FL
33321-6402
United States
David.Radcliffe@richlinegroup.com
Issuing Office:
Center for Devices and Radiological Health
United States
WARNING LETTER
CMS # 712818
August 25, 2025
Dear Mr. Radcliffe:
During an inspection of your firm located in Tamarac, FL, from March 24, 2025, through April 16, 2025, an investigator from the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) determined that your firm manufactures the Inverness Ear Care Antiseptic, Inverness Ear Care Solution, and Inverness Home Ear Piercing Kit products. The inspection of your firm identified violations of the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, a number of which were repeat violations from an earlier inspection. We note that FDA has had prior communications with your firm about these products.
Our inspection and review of the available information revealed that your firm markets the Inverness Ear Care Antiseptic and Inverness Ear Care Solution without marketing authorization. Wound washes containing certain chemicals, including antimicrobials (e.g., benzalkonium chloride), include several risks which necessitate the premarket review of these products prior to marketing. These risks include adverse tissue reaction, toxicity, delayed wound healing, incompatibilities with other therapies, contribution to the spread of antimicrobial resistance, infection, microbial growth within the product, product degradation during stated shelf storage, and negatively impacting the skin microbiota in the periwound area resulting in impaired wound healing. Wound washes with certain chemicals, such as antimicrobials for preservative purposes only, that are intended to irrigate a wound are generally regulated by the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH), categorized within FDA product code FRO (dressing, wound, drug), and require submission of a 510(k) for FDA review. However, please note that the claims and indications for a product can impact the regulatory pathway of the product, as well as the classification or jurisdiction of the product. Your firm appears to be making claims that go beyond the types of claims appropriate for wound washes categorized under the FRO product code. For example, the current labeling for Ear Care Antiseptic suggests that the benzalkonium chloride component is intended for use as an antiseptic rather than a preservative. The Ear Care Antiseptic labeling identifies benzalkonium chloride as the active ingredient, for the purpose of ear care antiseptic, e.g., as identified in the name of the product. If you intend to continue making such claims, we note that your products may be regulated by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) and require an approved new drug application, among other requirements.
However, assuming that the claims for these products would be consistent with wound care products regulated by CDRH, these products would be adulterated under section 501(f)(1)(B) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (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 under section 520(g) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360j(g). These products would also be misbranded under section 502(o) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 352(o), because your firm did not notify the agency of its intent to introduce the products into interstate commerce for commercial distribution, as required by section 510(k) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360(k). For a product requiring premarket approval, the notification required by section 510(k) is deemed satisfied when a PMA is pending before the agency (21 CFR 807.81(b)). The kind of information that your firm needs to submit in order to obtain approval or clearance for the products is described on the Internet at http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/DeviceRegulationandGuidance/HowtoMarketYourDevice/default.htm. The FDA will evaluate the information that your firm submits and decide whether the products may be legally marketed.
Additionally, assuming that the claims for these products would be consistent with wound care products regulated by CDRH, your products would be in violation of the Act in other respects as well, as discussed further below.
Quality System Regulation
Based on this inspection, your products would be 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 requirements of the Quality System regulation found at Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 820. We received responses from Mr. Jose A. Abrams, Jr., Director of Quality Assurance dated May 5, 2025, and June 18, 2025, concerning our investigator’s observations noted on the Form FDA 483 (FDA 483), List of Inspectional Observations, that was issued to your firm. We address the responses below, in relation to each of the noted violations. These violations include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Failure to establish and maintain procedures to control the design of the device in order to ensure that specified design requirements are met, as required by 21 CFR 820.30(a).
For example: Your firm has not implemented design controls for your products, including the Inverness Home Ear Piercing Kits, Ear Care Antiseptic, and Ear Care Solution. Specifically:
a. Your firm defines requirements in your Design Control procedure, SOP-003, Ver. 0, 10/10/2024 for design and development planning, design input, design output, design verification, design validation, design transfer, design review, and design history for your products, but does not maintain design documents that support these established requirements, including any documentation of design control requirements from the original design of the products. During the inspection, these records were requested, and your Quality Control Manager affirmed that your firm has not established any design controls or developed design plans for your firm’s products. Accordingly, your firm has been operating without design controls since
(b)(4)
.
b. Your firm has not addressed expiration dating as part of the design controls. Although your firm’s Ear Care Antiseptic & Ear Care Solution Preparation procedure, SOP-015, Ver. 0, 01/16/2025, requires each bottle of Ear Care Antiseptic and Ear Care Solution to be printed with an expiration date
(b)(4)
beyond the batch mixing date, your firm maintains no supporting documentation for the current
(b)(4)
expiration date of such products, or for the
(b)(4)
expiration date of your sterile cassette containing 2-piercing cartridges. Your firm provided the report, Technique Report Ref: 1330084, Accelerated Stability Trial (
(b)(4)
), to demonstrate testing was conducted on the Ear Care Solution in
(b)(4)
but the report does not include: Testing protocol, actual testing raw data, product packaging configuration, and batch/lot number, in support of the
(b)(4)
expiration date for the firm’s Ear Care Solution and Ear Care Antiseptic. Also, your firm maintains no supporting documentation for testing conducted for the
(b)(4)
expiration date for your firm’s sterile cassette.
Your firm manufactured and distributed over
(b)(4)
bottles of Ear Care Antiseptic and Ear Care Solution, configured in 2 oz., 4 oz., and 16 oz. bottle sizes, for your Home Ear Piercing Kits and for individual own-label and private-label sale, between June 2024 and April 2025, without proper design controls in place.
We reviewed your firm’s response and concluded that it is not adequate. Your firm's response (CAPA-25-004) is inadequate because it provides only partial coverage of the design control violations and lacks implementation specifics. While the CAPA acknowledges the need for design controls, it does not comprehensively address all identified deficiencies and fails to detail how each aspect of the design control process will be implemented. Critically, your response lacks a documented plan for establishing and validating product expiration dates and does not explain how compliance with SOP-003 (Design Control) will be ensured across all design process elements for your products.
Additionally, the ongoing status of CAPA-25-004, which has been extended
(b)(4)
per CAPA-EXT-002, raises concerns about your firm's ability to effectively implement necessary corrections. Your firm’s CAPA-25-004 should be revised to comprehensively address this design control violation, including specific implementation plans for each design control element; establish clear procedures for expiration date documentation and validation; and demonstrate how SOP-003 compliance will be achieved and maintained throughout your design processes.
2. Failure to adequately ensure that when the results of a process cannot be fully verified by subsequent inspection and test that the process shall be validated with a high degree of assurance and approved according to established procedure. The validation activities and results, including the date and signature of the individual(s) approving the validation and where appropriate the major equipment validated, are to be documented, as required by 21 CFR 820.75(a).
For example: Your firm has not validated the manufacturing process and equipment used to produce Inverness Ear Care Solution and Ear Care Antiseptic. Your firm has defined requirements for validations in your procedure, Production and Process Control, SOP-021, Ver. 0, 09/05/2024, but does not maintain documents that address original process validations and any subsequent re-validations, to ensure that robust, reliable, and efficiently monitored processes are used to manufacture product. Specifically:
a. Equipment used to establish and to monitor critical parameters such as tank fill weight, water quality, raw material weight, mixing speed, and mixing times is not validated.
b. Your firm’s procedure, SOP-021, requires determination of process variables and that they be understood and controlled through validation, e.g., batch size. However, three different batch sizes of Ear Care Antiseptic Batch (Lot #
(b)(4)
at
(b)(4)
lbs., Lot #
(b)(4)
at
(b)(4)
lbs., and Lot#
(b)(4)
at
(b)(4)
lbs.) were produced without establishing critical process parameters through validation for each batch size, to consistently meet predetermined specifications.
c. Critical equipment used in the manufacture of your firm’s products, including the
(b)(4)
system,
(b)(4)
, and
(b)(4)
, is not validated. This is not consistent with your firm’s procedure, SOP-021, which requires the documentation and validation of products and equipment transferred in the
(b)(4)
relocation from Massachusetts to the current facility in Florida.
d. Validation protocol and/or validation report is not maintained by your firm for your manufactured products.
Your firm manufactured and distributed over
(b)(4)
bottles of Ear Care Antiseptic and Ear Care Solution, configured in 2 oz., 4 oz., and 16 oz. bottle sizes, for your Home Ear Piercing Kits and for individual own-label and private-label sale, between June 2024 and April 2025, without proper equipment and process validations in place. This is a continued and repeated violation from the previous inspection of your firm’s facility.
We reviewed your firm’s response and concluded that it is not adequate. Your firm's response (CAPA-25-007) is inadequate because it lacks specificity and essential documentation. While the CAPA addresses general validation concerns, it fails to specify how critical process parameters, manufacturing equipment (
(b)(4)
),
(b)(4)
,
(b)(4)
the
(b)(4)
system, and different batch sizes will be validated.
Additionally, your response does not include required supporting documentation such as validation protocols, validation summary reports, equipment qualification documentation, or batch size validation studies. The implementation status remains unclear, as you have not indicated whether proposed corrective actions have been implemented, provided implementation timelines, nor described interim measures during CAPA execution.
Furthermore, your CAPA inadequately addresses the repeat nature of this validation deficiency, which typically requires more comprehensive corrective actions than those proposed. While training is mentioned, the response lacks concrete validation methodologies and procedures necessary to ensure process control and product quality. The focus on training alone does not substitute for the development and implementation of actual validation processes. Your firm’s response should include a revised CAPA that includes specific validation protocols with supporting documentation, clear implementation timelines, and comprehensive measures to prevent recurrence of these validation deficiencies.
3. Failure to develop, conduct, control, and monitor production processes to ensure that a device conforms to its specifications, as required by 21 CFR 820.70(a).
For example: Your firm has not implemented your
(b)(4)
System procedure, SOP-034, Ver. 0, 01/16/2025, to maintain records for the conduct of required
(b)(4)
and
(b)(4)
monitoring of your
(b)(4)
system. Records requested during the inspection for eight
(b)(4)
of monitoring show your firm did not maintain water monitoring records for three of the eight
(b)(4)
in January, February, and March 2025, which is not consistent with the requirements of your procedure. Five
(b)(4)
monitoring records in January, February, March, and April 2025, reviewed during the inspection, similarly showed
(b)(4)
weekly monitoring records are incomplete, where
(b)(4)
monitoring is not recorded as required by procedure.
Your Quality Control Manager stated that
(b)(4)
. However, your firm has not demonstrated that this sampling plan adequately represents the microbiological quality of your
(b)(4)
system monitoring and is sufficient to detect microbial contamination. Additionally, your procedure SOP-034 lacks essential requirements including testing frequency, sample quantities, identification of viable organisms in the manufacturing process, and microbial count action levels. This is a continued and repeated violation from the previous inspection of your firm’s facility.
We reviewed your firm’s response and concluded that it is not adequate. While CAPA-25-004 was initiated to address
(b)(4)
system monitoring and records were provided demonstrating
(b)(4)
and
(b)(4)
monitoring activities, the response fails to identify the root cause of previous monitoring failures or provide a comprehensive plan to prevent recurrence. Your firm attributes the issue to training deficiencies but does not explain why training was inadequate or demonstrate that additional training will effectively address the underlying problem.
Your firm’s response should provide for establishing microbiological sampling requirements at appropriate frequencies, update SOP-034 to include comprehensive monitoring requirements (the current version remains unchanged from the inspection and still lacks microbiological testing requirements), ensure consistent performance and documentation of all required monitoring, and address the recurring nature of this observation with more urgent corrective actions. CAPA-25-004 remains ongoing and has been extended 60 days per CAPA-EXT-002, as of your June 18, 2025, response.
4. Failure to validate computer software for its intended use according to an established protocol when computers or automated data processing systems are used as part of production or the quality system, as required by 21 CFR 820.70(i).
For example: Your firm has not validated the Excel spreadsheet for its intended use of calculating the final concentration of benzalkonium chloride in your manufactured, finished products, Inverness Ear Care Solution (0.09%) and Inverness Ear Care Antiseptic (0.12%). Not validating the formulation software for each different batch size can result in super-potent or sub-potent finished products that may present a risk to health for the users of the product, including adverse tissue reactions, immunological reactions, transmission of pathogens and parasites, toxicity, delayed wound healing, infection, microbial growth or product degradation during storage, and inability to remove wound debris and foreign materials. Scaling batch size up or down can have an intrinsic effect on the finished product chemical and physical properties. This is a continued and repeated deficiency from previous inspection of your firm’s facility.
The adequacy of your firm's response cannot be determined at this time. While CAPA-25-007 was provided to include Excel Validation Protocol (TP-25-001) and Excel Validation Report (TP-25-001-TR) under SOP-021-B, to address the Excel software and formula spreadsheet, your response is incomplete. Although the Excel Validation Report demonstrates that your firm initiated software validation of the Excel formula spreadsheet, you have not provided confirmatory testing (assay) data to verify that the Inverness Ear Care Solution (0.09%) and Inverness Ear Care Antiseptic (0.12%) products manufactured using the newly validated Excel formula spreadsheet meet the established specifications outlined in SOP-021-B, Section 2, Product Characteristics.
5. Failure to ensure that all inspection, measuring, and test equipment, including mechanical, automated, or electronic inspection and test equipment, is suitable for its intended purposes and is capable of producing valid results, as required by 21 CFR 820.72(a).
For example: Your firm has not adequately implemented SOP-017 (Control of Measuring and Monitoring Devices, Ver. 0, 09/05/2024) to ensure scales used for weighing water in mixing Tanks C and D are calibrated within the appropriate working range. The last
(b)(4)
batches of Ear Care Solution produced in these tanks had a final batch size of
(b)(4)
lbs., yet calibration records show the scales were only calibrated for a weight range of
(b)(4)
lbs. This inadequate calibration range may result in super-potent or sub-potent finished products, presenting health risks to users.
We reviewed your firm’s response and concluded that it is not adequate. While CAPA-25-008 was provided to address scale calibration for
(b)(4)
and
(b)(4)
under SOP-017, and your firm acknowledges the importance of ensuring correct calibration ranges for tank weights, you have not provided evidence that the scales are calibrated within the batch size working range. Your firm’s response also lacks a documented rationale demonstrating that calibrating the scales for
(b)(4)
and
(b)(4)
up to only
(b)(4)
lbs. is acceptable for
(b)(4)
lb. batches. It is also concerning that your firm did not evaluate the potential that the use of the scale outside the calibrated range could have resulted in distribution of nonconforming product. The response merely states that calibration certificates were located, and calibration status was confirmed for all equipment, without addressing the fundamental calibration range deficiency.
6. Failure to establish procedures to control product that does not conform to specified requirements, as required by 21 CFR 820.90(a).
For example: During the investigator’s walk-through of your firm’s finished-goods, inventory area, multiple examples of non-conforming product, i.e., mis-labeled, non-labeled, expired, and leaking products were observed held for sale and ready for shipment to customers. Your firm failed to implement your Control of Nonconformances procedure, SOP-022, to properly quarantine and control the affected products because your firm has no identified and dedicated quarantine area to segregate and maintain nonconforming product from finished product inventory for determining product final disposition.
We reviewed your firm’s response and concluded that it is not adequate. CAPA-25-009 was provided to address control of non-conforming product. While this CAPA acknowledges the lack of a quarantine area and product non-conformance issues and proposes establishing a dedicated quarantine area with personnel retraining on SOP-022 (Control of Nonconformances), it lacks essential elements including specific corrective actions for each non-conformance type (i.e., unlabeled bottles, expired products, incorrect components, leaking bottles), preventive measures to avoid recurrence, and how ongoing compliance with SOP-022 will be ensured, including specific actions for implementing and maintaining the quarantine area, and establishing a plan for measuring corrective action effectiveness.
UDI Labeling
The inspection revealed that your products would be misbranded within the meaning of section 502(c) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 352(c), because a word, statement, or other information required by or under authority of section 519 of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360i, to appear on the label or labeling of the products was not prominently placed thereon with such conspicuousness (as compared with other words, statements, designs, or devices, in the labeling) and in such terms as to render it likely to be read and understood by the ordinary individual under customary conditions of purchase and use. In particular, 21 CFR 801.20(a) – which was promulgated under authority of section 519 of the Act, among other provisions – requires, with exceptions not relevant here, that the label and package bear a unique device identifier (UDI) that meets the requirements of 21 CFR Part 801, subpart B, and 21 CFR Part 830. The labels of the Inverness Home Ear Piercing Kit, Inverness Ear Care Solution (0.09%), and Inverness Ear Care Antiseptic (0.12%) products do not bear such a UDI.
Specifically, the labels for the Inverness Home Ear Piercing Kit, Inverness Ear Care Solution (0.09%), and Inverness Ear Care Antiseptic (0.12%) products do not include a device identifier within the meaning of 21 CFR 801.3 or 830.3, and there is no UDI presented in easily readable plain-text on the label (see 21 CFR 801.40(a)(1)), and there is no UDI presented in machine-readable form that uses automatic identification and data capture (AIDC) technology on the label (see 21 CFR 801.40(a)(2)).
We reviewed your firm’s response and concluded that it is not adequate. Your firm provided CAPA-25-014, which promises to establish UDIs and update all labels by June 13, 2025. In addition, your firm provided evidence of acquiring DIs for Ear Care Solution, Ear Care Antiseptic, Inverness Disposable Nose Piercing Instrument, and Inverness Reusable Ear Piercing Instruct from GS1. However, your firm has not provided information about the design of the new labels and examples that include valid UDIs.
Submitting Required Information to GUDID
In addition, the Inverness Home Ear Piercing Kit, Inverness Ear Care Solution (0.09%), and Inverness Ear Care Antiseptic (0.12%) products are misbranded within the meaning of section 502(t)(2) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 352(t)(2), in that there was a failure or refusal to furnish any material or information required by or under section 519 of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360i, respecting these products. In particular, 21 CFR 830.300(a) and 830.320(b) – both of which were promulgated under section 519 of the Act, among other provisions – require that the labeler submit electronically to FDA’s Global Unique Device Identification Database (GUDID) the information required by 21 CFR Part 830, subpart E, for each version or model required to bear a UDI. FDA has determined that your firm causes a label to be applied to these products with the intent that they be commercially distributed without any subsequent replacement or modification of the label. Richline Group, Inc. is therefore a “labeler” within the meaning of 21 CFR 830.3 and has not submitted to GUDID any information required by 21 CFR Part 830, subpart E, respecting these products.
The failure or refusal to furnish any notification or other material or information required by or under section 519 of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 360i, also constitutes a prohibited act under section 301(q)(1)(B) of the Act, 21 U.S.C. § 331(q)(1)(B).
We reviewed your firm’s response and concluded that it is not adequate. Though CAPA-25-014 mentions FDA 483 Observation 16 regarding GUDID reporting, the analysis, root cause, and solution do not address the need for GUDID reporting.
Medical Device Reporting (MDR)
We recommend that your firm establish an active Electronic Submissions Gateway (ESG) production account for the electronic submission of MDR reports, so that your firm can comply with 21 CFR 803.12(a). FDA verified that, as of June 11, 2025, your firm does not have such an account. Information about the ESG can be found at: How to Enroll in eMDR Program | FDA
Your firm should take prompt action to address any violations identified in this letter. Failure to adequately address this matter may result in regulatory action being initiated by the FDA without further notice. These actions include, but are not limited to, seizure, injunction, and civil money penalties.
Other federal agencies may take your compliance with the FD&C Act and its implementing regulations into account when considering the award of federal contracts. Additionally, should FDA determine that you have Quality System regulation violations that are reasonably related to premarket approval applications for Class III devices, such devices will not be approved until the violations have been addressed. Should FDA determine that your products or facilities do not meet the requirements of the Act, requests for Certificates to Foreign Governments (CFG) may not be granted.
Please notify this office in writing within fifteen business days from the date you receive this letter of the specific steps your firm has taken to address the noted violations, as well as an explanation of how your firm plans to prevent these violations, or similar violations, from occurring again. Include documentation of the corrections and/or corrective actions (which must address systemic problems) that your firm has taken. If your firm’s planned corrections and/or corrective actions will occur over time, please include a timetable for implementation of those activities. If corrections and/or corrective actions cannot be completed within fifteen business days, state the reason for the delay and the time within which these activities will be completed. Your firm’s response should be comprehensive and address any violations included in this Warning Letter. If you believe that your products are not in violation of the FD&C Act, include your reasoning and any supporting information for our consideration as part of your response.
Your firm’s response should be sent to: Melissa Michurski, Assistant Director, at CDRHEnforcement@fda.hhs.gov. Refer to CMS # 712818 when replying. If you have any questions about the contents of this letter, please contact Salvatore Randazzo, Compliance Officer, at 407-475-4712 or salvatore.randazzo@fda.hhs.gov.
Finally, you should know that this letter is not intended to be an all-inclusive list of the violations at your firm’s facility. It is your firm’s responsibility to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations administered by FDA. The specific violations noted in this letter and in the Inspectional Observations, FDA 483, issued at the close of the inspection may be symptomatic of serious problems in your firm’s manufacturing and quality management systems. Your firm should investigate and determine the causes of any violations and take prompt actions to address any violations and bring the products into compliance.
Sincerely,
/S/
Matthew G. Hillebrenner
Deputy Director
Office of Product Evaluation and Quality
Center for Devices and Radiological Health
Content current as of:
09/23/2025
Regulated Product(s)
Medical Devices