Burkholderia cepacia: This Decision Is Overdue

This is the third in a series of seven articles discussing the Recall Root Cause Research project conducted by the Division of Manufacturing and Product Quality, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. This paper reviews the regulatory and scientific impact of a common and recurring opportunistic pathogen, Burkholderia cepacia. B. cepacia is comprised of closely related species called Burkholderia cepacia complex, which has contaminated many finished pharmaceutical products and environments used to manufacture pharmaceuticals. This review includes a brief perspective as described in several U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) documents, and assesses root cause using product recall reports and FDA Establishment Inspection Reports. We identify several possible points of origin for microbial contamination. This discussion also includes concern with anomalies in test methods that may influence B. cepacia measurement. The issue of objectionable microorganisms and whether B. cepacia can readily be included in a compendial chapter is briefly discussed. Finally, this paper underscores that drugs contaminated with B. cepacia pose a serious threat to susceptible patients, particularly those with cystic fibrosis or who are otherwise immunocompromised. It is therefore important to prevent B. cepacia from contaminating pharmaceutical manufacturing environments, raw materials, and finished products.

Burkholderia cepacia is a species of bacterium that is commonly found in natural environments such as soil, water, rhizosphere and agriculture products. The species name represents a group of closely related organisms. These bacteria have contaminated many drug products and can create public health concerns. Pharmaceutical products that are contaminated with B. cepacia may pose serious consequences to vulnerable patients (e.g., compromised immune system). Preventing B. cepacia contamination in drugs by addressing the potential sources of this bacteria in a drug manufacturing operation is an important public health goal. This review highlights potential sources of B. cepacia species as they relate to U.S. Food and Drug Administration findings recorded in data from Establishment Inspection Reports and Warning Letters.