OTC Companies Cited For Refusing Records Request

When FDA asks for records, companies should generally comply or they can face warning letters. This year FDA has sent eight warning letters to OTC companies refusing to respond to FDA’s request for records requests. This is a steep jump from only two similar letters in all of 2022.

🔷Yes, I know these are OTC-related and not supplement warning letters, but we can still learn a few things and also be amused by some of the responses, such as a company saying they were “not prepared to allow the FDA to audit and inspect.” 

Here is the timeline:
🔹March 17, 2023, the FDA sent an electronic request for records and other to the contact email address provided in your registration file. This request went unanswered.
🔹Second and third requests were sent via email on April 6 and April 18, 2023.
🔹On April 19, 2023, you responded stating that you were “not prepared to allow the FDA to audit and inspect” your firm.
🔹The Agency sent a follow-up written request for such records and other information on April 28, 2023, to your registered address on file; however, we received a delivery failure notification.

🔷Testing for contaminants: These “refusal to comply” letters were issued to OTC companies, four of whom were selling products with ingredients like glycerin. FDA pays extra attention to these types of ingredients as they may be susceptible to Diethylene Glycol (DEG) and Ethylene Glycol (EG) contamination. Dietary supplement companies can learn from this and test glycerin and ethanol for these common adulterants. This is good business, and FDA will want to see these tests when inspecting your or your comanufacturer’s facility. I write more about this here.

🔷This is not to be confused with the FDA’s Remote Regulatory Assessment (RRA) program, which is voluntary. Complying with this can help deprioritize FDA from visiting your facility and seems like a good idea if documents are in order. What are your thoughts on RRAs?

Disclaimer: The educational information provided here is for informational purposes only. Contact an attorney for specific legal advice. Rule #1 in compliance is to ensure marketing is truthful and not misleading.