07/08/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/08/2024 04:43
August 7, 2024, Covington Alert
This e-alert is part of a series of e-alerts summarizing publicly available FDA enforcement letters (i.e., warning letters and untitled letters) relating to the advertising and promotion of prescription drugs, medical devices, and biologics.
During the second quarter of 2024 the Office of Product Evaluation and Quality (OPEQ) at the Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) and the Office of Medical Device and Radiological Health Operations (OMDRHO) in the Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) posted the following two warning letters.[1]
During the same period FDA's Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP) did not post any enforcement letters. FDA's Advertising and Promotional Labeling Branch (APLB) in the Office of Compliance and Biologics Quality (OCBQ) has not posted any enforcement letters since 2018.
This alert merely summarizes the allegations contained in FDA's letters. It does not contain any analyses, opinions, characterizations, or conclusions by or of Covington & Burling LLP. As a result, the information presented herein does not necessarily reflect the views of Covington & Burling LLP or any of its clients.Pinnacle BioLabs Warning Letter (April 2024)
FDA's warning letter to Pinnacle Labs of Tennessee, LLC dba Pinnacle BioLabs (Pinnacle Labs), issued by OPEQ and OMDRHO, arose out of an inspection and review of the firm's website. FDA alleges that the inspection revealed that the firm is marketing the Second Generation FIT Fecal Immunochemical Test for a new intended use without necessary premarket approval. According to FDA, the company intended to be a private label distributor of the previously-cleared Fecal Occult Blood (FOB) test, which was cleared as "an aid to detect blood in stool as found in a number of gastrointestinal disorders, e.g. diverticulitis, colitis, polyps, and colorectal cancer" and was classified under 21 CFR 864.6550 (occult blood test). FDA alleges that the company modified the cleared device and manufactured a new device, by repackaging the cleared device and replacing the original manufacturer's package insert with the company's own labeling stating that the test is intended for use in colorectal screening. FDA also cites claims in a product brochure and on the firm's website to allege that the company has "modified the previously-cleared device and manufactured a new device, the Second Generation FIT Fecal Occult Blood (FOB) Self-Test, with a new intended use" in colorectal cancer screenings.
FDA notes that similar devices intended for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening are class III devices that require premarket approval, and FDA states that it is "not aware of any data demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of [the] device when intended for use in colorectal cancer screening." Consequently, FDA alleges that the Second Generation FIT Fecal Immunochemical Test is adulterated "because [the] firm does not have an approved application for premarket approval" for the new intended use in effect and misbranded "because the firm did not notify the agency of its intent to introduce the device into commercial distribution."
Spectrum Medical Warning Letter (posted April 2024; issued September 2023)
FDA's warning letter to Spectrum Medical Ltd. (Spectrum Medical) issued by OPEQ and OMDRHO, arose out of an inspection. Based on a review of Spectrum Medical's promotional materials and user manuals for the Quantum Perfusion devices that were collected during the inspection, FDA alleges that the company is marketing "several devices with indications beyond what FDA has cleared in [its] premarket notifications for these devices." Specifically:
If you have any questions concerning the material discussed in this client alert, please contact the members of our Food, Drug, and Device group.
[1]The Pinnacle BioLabs Warning Letter also include allegations that the products are adulterated due to violations of the Quality System Regulations and Medical Device Reporting Violations. These allegations are omitted from the discussion in this alert.