KM Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.
FDA issued a warning letter to KM Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. (Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea) on Aug 3, 2023. Subject: Refusal to Provide Access to and Copying of Records.
From the letter: “On March 3, 2023, the FDA sent an electronic request for records and other information pursuant to section 704(a)(4) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), 21 U.S.C. 374(a)(4), to the contact e-mail address provided in…”
At a glance
What a reviewer notes before reading: findings, citations, the response deadline and what the letter warns of.
- Violations
- 1 finding · 1 issue type
- Cited
- No CFR or ISO section
- Response due
- Not stated in the letter
- FDA asks for
- 1 actions
- Named as possible actions
- Import alert, refusal of admission
- Issued by
- Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
- Published status
- No close-out recorded
AI assisted findings
Model-assisted reading of each issue. Open one to see the FDA text it comes from, and check it against the full letter.
01Records & data integrity · 21 U.S.C. 374(a)(4)The firm failed to respond to FDA's records requests under section 704(a)(4), including multiple attempts, and did not provide the requested information.
On March 3, 2023, the FDA sent an electronic request for records and other information pursuant to section 704(a)(4) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), 21 U.S.C. 374(a)(4), to the contact e-mail address provided in your registration file. This request ultimately went unanswered. A second request was sent via e-mail on March 16, 2023, followed by an attempted contact by telephone with your registered U.S. Agent on April 12, 2023, regarding this matter. The Agency sent a follow-up written request for such records and other information on April 17, 2023. Delivery to you was confirmed by the shipper, but you failed to respond to these attempted communications or otherwise provide the requested records or other information. Pursuant to section 704(a)(4), FDA’s request and follow-up communication included a sufficient and clear description of the records sought.
What FDA requested
- Provide records and other information pursuant to section 704(a)(4) of the FD&C Act, 21 U.S.C. 374(a)(4), including a sufficient and clear description of the records sought.
FDA Warning Letter
16 paragraphs · 1 sectionText as published on FDA.gov, retrieved Sep 8, 2026. Layout added for reading; the wording is FDA’s. View on FDA.gov (opens in a new tab)
1Letter text
8 paragraphs
Your firm is registered with the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or Agency) as a manufacturer of over-the-counter (OTC) drug products, including (b)(4) and hand sanitizer. Ingredients of the drugs registered as manufactured at your firm include ingredients susceptible to Diethylene Glycol (DEG) and Ethylene Glycol (EG) substitution. A review of import records showed multiple shipments of drug products into the United States, which declared KM Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. as the drug manufacturer. On March 3, 2023, the FDA sent an electronic request for records and other information pursuant to section 704(a)(4) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), 21 U.S.C. 374(a)(4), to the contact e-mail address provided in your registration file. This request ultimately went unanswered. A second request was sent via e-mail on March 16, 2023, followed by an attempted contact by telephone with your registered U.S. Agent on April 12, 2023, regarding this matter. The Agency sent a follow-up written request for such records and other information on April 17, 2023. Delivery to you was confirmed by the shipper, but you failed to respond to these attempted communications or otherwise provide the requested records or other information. Pursuant to section 704(a)(4), FDA’s request and follow-up communication included a sufficient and clear description of the records sought.
It is a prohibited act under section 301(e) of the FD&C Act (21 U.S.C. 331(e)) to refuse to permit access to or copying of any record as required by section 704(a).
The use of ingredients contaminated with DEG or EG has resulted in various lethal poisoning incidents in humans worldwide. See FDA’s guidance document Testing of Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Maltitol Solution, Hydrogenated Starch Hydrolysate, Sorbitol Solution, and Other High-Risk Drug Components for Diethylene Glycol and Ethylene Glycol to help you meet the current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) requirements when manufacturing drugs containing ingredients at high-risk for DEG or EG contamination at https://www.fda.gov/media/167974/download.
Because your firm failed to respond to the section 704(a)(4) records requests and associated communication attempts, we have no indication of the level of quality assurance for drugs registered as manufactured at your facility.
Until FDA is able to confirm compliance with CGMP and other applicable requirements, we may withhold approval of any new applications or supplements listing your firm as a drug manufacturer. In addition, shipments of articles manufactured at KM Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd., 121 Pyeongtaekhang-ro, 268 beon-gil, Poseung-eup, Pyeongtaek Gyeonggi, 17953 South Korea, into the United States that appear to be adulterated or misbranded are subject to being detained or refused admission pursuant to section 801(a)(3) of the FD&C Act, 21 U.S.C. 381(a)(3).
FDA placed all drugs and drug products manufactured by your firm on Import Alert 66-79 on June 7, 2023.
After you receive this letter, respond to this office in writing within 15 working days. In response to this letter, you may provide information for our consideration as we continue to assess your activities and practices, and/or submit a request to schedule an FDA inspection.
Send your electronic reply to CDER-OC-OMQ-Communications@fda.hhs.gov. Identify your response with FEI #3010164172 and ATTN: Matthew R. Dionne, Pharm.D., Compliance Officer.
Citations and trends
Each 21 CFR section, ISO 13485 clause and issue type in this letter, how often it appears across all letters, and its trend by the year FDA issued the letters. 2026 runs to Nov 3, 2026, compared with the same dates last year. Select a row or a bar to see those letters in Letters. As cited in this historical letter, not a statement of current requirements.
This letter cites no 21 CFR section or ISO 13485 clause.
Issue types
Record details
- Issuing center
- Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
- Issuing office
- Center for Drug Evaluation and Research
- Location
- Pyeongtaek-si, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea
- Letter posted date
- Aug 8, 2023
- Letter issue date
- Aug 3, 2023
- Addressed to
- Not recorded
- Inspection dates · model-assisted
- Mar 3, 2023 to Apr 17, 2023
- Response window
- Not verified in this snapshot. Consult the original letter.
- Record length
- 567 words · 1 recorded redactions
- Published status
- No published close-out
- Original letter
- View on FDA.gov (opens in a new tab)
- Dataset last checked
- Nov 11, 2026 · How this is built
A response window is not a calculated due date. Source excerpts are selected passages. Finding interpretations and categories are model-assisted. Verify the original letter before relying on a finding.