Moderate FDA (Devices)·Z-2404-2017·Announced 2017-06-21

Biomerieux Recalls VITEK 2 Gram Negative Susceptibility Cards

Biomerieux Inc is recalling VITEK 2 Gram Negative Susceptibility cards because compromised container integrity may expose the product to moisture, potentially causing antibiotic degradation.

What this means for you

Minor labeling or packaging issue, or a voluntary precautionary recall. Risk of harm is low but real — follow the manufacturer's instructions.

Our severity reasoning: The recall is classified as FDA Class II, and the hazard involves potential loss of potency due to moisture exposure without reported injuries or illnesses, fitting the criteria for a moderate severity voluntary precautionary recall.

Plain-English summary

Biomerieux Inc is recalling 10,774 VITEK 2 Gram Negative Susceptibility cards (AST-N233, REF 413117). The recall was initiated because the integrity of the product container may be compromised, which could expose the product to moisture. This exposure may lead to antibiotic degradation, resulting in a loss of potency.

The affected product was distributed nationwide in the U.S., including to military and government sites. The product was also distributed to numerous international locations, including Algeria, Angola, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia - Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroun, Canada, Chad, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Dutch Antilles, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Haiti, Honduras, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Uganda, Kuwait, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Uruguay, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.

The source text does not specify specific actions for consumers or healthcare providers, such as whether to stop using the product or return it. Users should refer to the official FDA recall notice for specific instructions.

The recalled product

Product: VITEK¿ 2 Gram Negative Susceptibility card (AST-N233), REF 413117, 20 cards per carton.
Manufacturer: Biomerieux Inc
Category: Medical Device — Laboratory Diagnostic
Hazard: moisture-exposure
loss-of-potency
Affected units: 10,774

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

The notice also names 1 state specifically:

Part of a larger recall action

This product is one of 187 recalled by Biomerieux Inc under a single FDA (Devices) recall action. The agency files each product separately, so the size of the action is not visible from this page alone.

See all 187 products in this recall →

Same manufacturer · Biomerieux Inc

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Same hazard · moisture exposure