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IA #41-03 - 4/11/06; IMPORT ALERT #41-03 "DETENTION WITHOUT PHYSICAL
EXAMINATION OF ADULTERATED AND MISBRANDED MEDICAL FOODS"
Attachment A - 5/24/07

          NOTE: This revision corrects the PAF codes, deletes reference to
          Attachment B, updates the DIOP contact, and identifies a firm name
          and product subjected to detention  without physical examination
          in Attachment A.  New information is designated by asterisk (***).

TYPE OF ALERT: Detention Without Physical Examination (DWPE)

               (Note: This import alert represents the Agency's current
               guidance to FDA field personnel regarding the
               manufacturer(s) and/or products(s) at issue.  It does not
               create or confer any  rights for or on any person, and does
               not operate to bind FDA or the public).

PRODUCT:       Medical Foods

               Medical foods are defined as foods that are formulated to be
               consumed orally or administered enterally under the
               supervision of a physician and are intended for the dietary
               management of a specific disease or condition that has
               nutritional requirements.

PRODUCT
CODES:         41G[][]01 Nutritionally Complete Formulation
               41G[][]02 Nutritionally Incomplete Formulations
                         (Modulars-may be protein, carbohydrates or fat
                         modulars intended to be mixed with other
                         products prior to use)

PROBLEM:       Adulterated and/or Misbranded

PAF:           MIC - Microbiological
               *** NIS   Nutrient analysis of foods
               *** LBL - Labeling

PAC FOR
COLLECTION:         21002

COUNTRY:       All (ZZ)

MANUFACTURER/
SHIPPER FEI#:  See Attachment

CHARGES:       1.  For medical foods imported from foreign firms that fail
               to follow 21 CFR 110 or otherwise prepare pack or hold
               medical foods under insanitary conditions whereby such
               products may have been rendered injurious to health (Good
               Manufacturing Practices), charge:

               "The article is subject to refusal of admission pursuant to
               Section 801(a)(1) in that it appears to have been prepared,
               packed or held under insanitary conditions whereby it may
               have been rendered injurious to health.  [Adulteration,
               402(a)(4)]."

               2. For medical foods that are violative based solely on
               sample analysis,charge:

               "The article is subject to refusal of admission pursuant to
               Section 801(a)(3) in that it appears to contain a
               microbiological contaminate which may render it injurious to
               health [Adulterated, 402(a)(1)]";

                                or

               "The article is subject to refusal of admission pursuant to
               Section 801(a)(3) in that it appears to be adulterated in
               that a valuable constituent has been in whole or in part
               omitted or abstracted therefrom [Adulterated 402(b)(1)".]

               3. For products that are misbranded, charge:

               "The article is subject to refusal of admission pursuant to
               Section  801(a)(3) in that it appears to be misbranded in
               that it's labeling appears to be false and misleading
               [Misbranding 403(a)(1)]."

RECOMMENDING
OFFICE:        CFSAN/OFP/DOEP/ IMPORTS BRANCH, HFS-606

REASON FOR
ALERT:         In general, medical foods are analogous to infant formulas,
               in that the technology base is similar for the manufacture
               of both products.  Adulterated medical foods may constitute
               short and long-term health hazards to the susceptible
               populations who consume these products.  Potential health
               hazards associated with medical foods include compositional
               errors that result in microbiological and/or environment
               contamination.  For this reason, the Center has identified
               medical foods as a high-risk food category.  Therefore, the
               Agency is committed to assuring the continued safety and
               integrity of medical foods through annual inspection of all
               manufacturers of such products and routine analyses of
               medical food products.

               A firm may be listed on Attachment A either because the most
               recent FDA inspection conducted at the plant revealed that
               the plant was not following 21 CFR 110 or was otherwise
               preparing, packing, or holding products under insanitary
               conditions whereby such products may have been rendered
               injurious to health, and/or because one or more products
               manufactured at the plant have been analyzed by FDA and
               classified as violative.

               In addition, a firm may be listed on Attachment A because
               the label misstates the active amount of an ingredient. For
               example, FDA analysis of a medical food marketed as a low
               carbohydrate product revealed that the product may contain
               as much as 11 grams of carbohydrate instead of the labeled 3
               grams.  Because the label misstates the actual amount of
               carbohydrate in the product, this also results in a
               significantly lower fat: carbohydrate + protein ratio than
               what is stated on the label.

GUIDANCE:      Districts may detain without physical sampling and analysis
               all shipments of the specified products from the
               manufacturers listed on the Attachment of this alert.

               For questions or issues concerning science, science policy,
               sample collection, analysis, preparation, or analytical
               methodology, contact the Division of Field Science at (301)
               827-7605.

PRIORITIZATION
GUIDANCE:      I

FOI:           No purging is required

KEYWORDS:      Medical Foods, Enteral Nutrition, Microbiological
               Contamination, Nutrient Deficiencies or Nutrient Overages,
               Misbranding

PREPARED BY:   *** Linda Wisniowski, DIOP, (301) 443-6553
               Brenda Aloi, CFSAN, (301) 436-2065

DATE LOADED
INTO FIARS:         April 11, 2006

               Attachment - Import Alert #41-03

             Firms and Products recommended for DWPE