Delivery Method:
VIA EMAIL WITH READ RECEIPT
Reference #:
320-26-27
Product:
Drugs

Recipient:

Recipient Name

Mr. Clifford Clive

Medinatura New Mexico, Inc.

10421 Research Road SE
Albuquerque, NM 87123
United States

Issuing Office:
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER)

United States


Warning Letter 320-26-27

December 10, 2025

Dear Mr. Clive:

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) inspected your drug manufacturing facility, Medinatura New Mexico, Inc., FEI 1626962, at 10421 Research Road SE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, from May 19 to May 23, 2025.

This warning letter summarizes significant violations of Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations for finished pharmaceuticals. See Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), parts 210 and 211 (21 CFR parts 210 and 211).

Because your methods, facilities, or controls for manufacturing, processing, packing, or holding do not conform to CGMP, your drug products are adulterated within the meaning of section 501(a)(2)(B) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), 21 U.S.C. 351(a)(2)(B).

We reviewed your June 6, 2025, response to our Form FDA 483 in detail and acknowledge receipt of your subsequent correspondence.

During our inspection, our investigator observed specific violations, including but not limited to the following:

1. Your firm failed to test samples of each component for identity and conformity with all appropriate written specifications for purity, strength, and quality. Your firm also failed to validate and establish the reliability of your component supplier’s test analyses at appropriate intervals (21 CFR 211.84(d)(1) and 211.84(d)(2)).

You failed to perform adequate identity testing on each shipment of each lot of incoming components (for example, (b)(4)) used in the manufacture of your homeopathic drug products. Your firm’s testing was limited to Identification (b)(4) (specific gravity) and you failed to adequately test your incoming component (b)(4), used as an active pharmaceutical ingredient (API), for (b)(4). In addition, you relied on your suppliers’ certificates of analysis (COAs) without establishing the reliability of your component suppliers’ test analyses at appropriate intervals.

Products containing (b)(4)

You manufacture multiple drugs that contain (b)(4). The use of (b)(4) contaminated with (b)(4) has resulted in various lethal poisoning incidents in humans worldwide. See FDA’s guidance document (b)(4).

In your response, you stated that your firm was not following the current United States Pharmacopeia (USP) requirements for (b)(4) identification testing. USP pharmaceutical standards are applicable to drugs, including drug components, such as (b)(4), of finished pharmaceuticals, per section 501(b) of the FD&C Act.

Your response is inadequate. It does not provide sufficient details about how you will establish the reliability of your component suppliers’ COAs at appropriate intervals. Furthermore, it does not indicate you will perform the required testing for each lot of incoming raw materials. Your response also lacks an appropriate and thorough risk assessment of the quality of previously distributed drug products that are within expiry.

In response to this letter, provide:

  • A commitment to provide (b)(4) test results, as applicable, no later than 30 calendar days from the date of this letter, from testing retains for all lots of high-risk drug components used in the manufacture of drug products. Alternatively, if a retain of a component lot is unavailable, perform retain sample testing of all implicated, marketed finished drug product batches for the presence of (b)(4), as applicable.
  • A full risk assessment for drug products that are within expiry which contain any ingredient at risk for (b)(4) contamination (including, but not limited to, (b)(4)). Take prompt and appropriate actions to determine the safety of all lots of the component(s) and any related marketed drug product that could contain (b)(4), including customer notifications and product recalls for any contaminated lots. Identify additional appropriate corrective action and preventive action (CAPA) that secure supply chains in the future, including, but not limited to, ensuring that all incoming raw material lots are from fully qualified manufacturers and free from unsafe impurities. Detail these actions in your response to this letter.
  • A description of how you will test each component lot for conformity with all appropriate specifications for identity, strength, quality, and purity. If you intend to accept any results from your suppliers’ certificate of analysis (COA) instead of testing each component lot for strength, quality, and purity, specify how you will robustly establish the reliability of your suppliers’ results through initial validation as well as periodic re-validation. In addition, include a commitment to always conduct at least one specific identity test for each incoming component lot.
  • The chemical and microbiological quality control specifications you use to test each incoming lot of drug components to determine acceptability for use in manufacturing, including but not limited to, (b)(4).
  • A comprehensive, independent review of your material system to determine whether all suppliers of components, containers, and closures, are each qualified and the materials are assigned appropriate expiration or retest dates. The review should also determine whether incoming material controls are adequate to prevent use of unsuitable components, containers, and closures.
  • A summary of your program for qualifying and overseeing contract facilities that test the drug products you manufacture.
  • A summary of results obtained from testing all components to evaluate the reliability of the COA from each component manufacturer. Include your standard operating procedures (SOP) that describes this COA validation program.

2. Your firm failed to establish and follow adequate written procedures for cleaning and maintenance of equipment (21 CFR 211.67(b)).

Your cleaning validation program for non-dedicated manufacturing equipment, used for multiple drug products, is inadequate. It does not include the equipment used in tablet manufacturing, such as Intermediate Bulk Container (IBC) tanks (b)(4) tanks, product transfer hoses and (b)(4) hoses. Additionally, your firm lacks equipment usage logs and cleaning documentation, to ensure that the equipment is adequately cleaned and to prevent carry-over contamination from a prior batch during production campaigns.

In your response, you acknowledge that the cleaning validation is not reflective of your current operations, because you continued to purchase new equipment and add new drug products to your operations. You stated that you recognize that the cleaning validation needs a comprehensive revision.

Your response is inadequate. You have not provided sufficient details about your updated cleaning validation and associated procedures. You also did not provide a risk assessment of the quality of your distributed drugs, which are potentially contaminated because of your inadequate cleaning practices.

In response to this letter, provide the following:

  • A comprehensive, independent retrospective assessment of your cleaning effectiveness to evaluate the scope of cross-contamination hazards. Include the identity of residues, other manufacturing equipment that may have been improperly cleaned, and an assessment whether cross-contaminated products may have been released for distribution. The assessment should identify any inadequacies of cleaning procedures and practices and encompass each piece of manufacturing equipment used to manufacture more than one finished product.
  • A CAPA plan, based on the retrospective assessment of your cleaning program, that includes appropriate remediations to your cleaning processes and practices, and timelines for completion. Provide a detailed summary of vulnerabilities in your process for lifecycle management of equipment cleaning. Describe improvements to your cleaning program, including enhancements to cleaning effectiveness; improved ongoing verification of proper cleaning execution for all products and equipment; and all other needed remediations.
  • Appropriate improvements to your cleaning validation program, with special emphasis on incorporating conditions identified as worst-case in your drug manufacturing operation. This should include, but not be limited to, identification and evaluation of all worst-case:
    o Drugs with higher toxicities
    o Drugs with higher drug potencies
    o Drugs of lower solubility in their cleaning solvents
    o Drugs with characteristics that make them difficult to clean
    o Swabbing locations for areas that are most difficult to clean
    o Maximum hold times before cleaning
  • In addition, describe the steps that must be taken in your change management system before introduction of new manufacturing equipment or a new product.
  • A summary of updated SOP that ensure an appropriate program is in place for verification and validation of cleaning procedures for products, processes, and equipment.

3. Your firm failed to establish written procedures for production and process control designed to assure that the drug products you manufacture have the identity, strength, quality, and purity they purport or are represented to possess (21 CFR 211.100(a)).

You have not adequately validated your production and process controls used to manufacture your homeopathic drug products, including “(b)(4) tablets” and “(b)(4),” which are labeled for (b)(4). Your drug products contain potentially hazardous components (for example, (b)(4)).

In your response, you acknowledged that you have not been properly updating your process validations when new drug products and equipment are added, and your last official validation study was completed in 2007, when the company was under different ownership. You committed to using your current manufacturing data to update your process validation.

Your response is inadequate. You did not provide details about how you will conduct process validation for all your products, including the products containing potentially hazardous components. Also, you did not provide a risk assessment and any follow-up actions to be taken for distributed drug products produced without performing appropriate process validation.

Process validation evaluates the soundness of design and state of control of a process throughout its lifecycle. Each significant stage of a manufacturing process must be designed appropriately and assure the quality of raw material inputs, in-process materials, and finished drugs. Process qualification studies include intensive monitoring and testing throughout each significant process stage to characterize intra-batch variation and evaluate batches to determine whether an initial state of control has been established. Successful process qualification studies are necessary before commercial distribution. Thereafter, ongoing vigilant oversight of process performance and product quality is necessary to ensure you maintain a stable manufacturing operation throughout the product lifecycle.

See FDA’s guidance document Process Validation: General Principles and Practices for general principles and approaches that FDA considers appropriate elements of process validation at https://www.fda.gov/media/71021/download.

In response to this letter, provide the following:

  • A detailed summary of your validation program for ensuring a state of control throughout the product lifecycle, along with associated procedures. Describe your program for process performance qualification (PPQ) and ongoing monitoring of both intra-batch and inter-batch variation to ensure a continuing state of control.
  • A timeline for performing appropriate PPQ for each of your marketed drug products. Also, provide a risk assessment and any follow-up actions to be taken for the distributed drug products produced without performing appropriate process validation studies.
  • Process performance protocol(s), and written procedures for qualification of equipment and facilities.
  • A detailed program for designing, validating, maintaining, controlling, and monitoring each of your manufacturing processes that includes vigilant monitoring of intra-batch and inter-batch variation to ensure an ongoing state of control. Also, include your program for qualification of your equipment and facility.
  • An assessment of each drug product process to ensure that there is a data-driven and scientifically sound program that identifies and controls all sources of variability, such that your production processes, will consistently meet appropriate specifications and manufacturing standards. This includes, but is not limited to, evaluating suitability of equipment for its intended use, sufficiency of detectability in your monitoring and testing systems, quality of input materials, and reliability of each manufacturing process step and control.

Quality Systems

Your firm’s quality systems are inadequate. See FDA’s guidance document Quality Systems Approach to Pharmaceutical CGMP Regulations for help implementing quality systems and risk management approaches to meet the requirements of CGMP regulations 21 CFR, parts 210 and 211 at https://www.fda.gov/media/71023/download.

CGMP Consultant Recommended

Based upon the nature of the violations we identified at your firm, we strongly recommend engaging a consultant qualified as set forth in 21 CFR 211.34 to assist your firm in meeting CGMP requirements. We also recommend that the qualified consultant perform a comprehensive audit of your entire operation for CGMP compliance and evaluate the completion and efficacy of your CAPA before you pursue resolution of your firm’s compliance status with FDA.

Your use of a consultant does not relieve your firm’s obligation to comply with CGMP. Your firm’s executive management remains responsible for resolving all deficiencies and systemic flaws to ensure ongoing CGMP compliance.

Conclusion

The violations cited in this letter are not intended to be an all-inclusive list of violations that exist at your facility. You are responsible for investigating and determining the causes of any violations and for preventing their recurrence or the occurrence of other violations.

Correct any violations promptly. Failure to promptly and adequately address this matter may result in regulatory or legal action without further notice including, without limitation, seizure and injunction. Unresolved violations may also prevent other Federal agencies from awarding contracts.

Failure to address violations may also cause FDA to withhold issuance of Export Certificates. FDA may withhold approval of new applications or supplements listing your firm as a drug manufacturer until any violations are completely addressed and we confirm your compliance with CGMP. We may re-inspect to verify that you have completed corrective actions to address any violations.

This letter notifies you of our findings and provides you an opportunity to address the above deficiencies. After you receive this letter, respond to this office in writing within 15 working days. Specify what you have done to address any violations and to prevent their recurrence. In response to this letter, you may provide additional information for our consideration as we continue to assess your activities and practices. If you cannot complete corrective actions within 15 working days, state your reasons for delay and your schedule for completion.

Send your electronic reply to CDER-OC-OMQ-Communications@fda.hhs.gov. Identify your response with FEI 1626962 and ATTN: Chhaya Shetty.

Sincerely,
/S/

Francis Godwin
Director
Office of Manufacturing Quality
Office of Compliance
Center for Drug Evaluation and Research