21 CFR Part 211 · Current Good Manufacturing Practice for Finished Pharmaceuticals

§ 211.208 Drug product salvaging

Subpart K - Returned and Salvaged Drug Products Official text on eCFR Amendment history

Drug products that have been subjected to improper storage conditions including extremes in temperature, humidity, smoke, fumes, pressure, age, or radiation due to natural disasters, fires, accidents, or equipment failures shall not be salvaged and returned to the marketplace. Whenever there is a question whether drug products have been subjected to such conditions, salvaging operations may be conducted only if there is (a) evidence from laboratory tests and assays (including animal feeding studies where applicable) that the drug products meet all applicable standards of identity, strength, quality, and purity and (b) evidence from inspection of the premises that the drug products and their associated packaging were not subjected to improper storage conditions as a result of the disaster or accident. Organoleptic examinations shall be acceptable only as supplemental evidence that the drug products meet appropriate standards of identity, strength, quality, and purity. Records including name, lot number, and disposition shall be maintained for drug products subject to this section.

Independent copy, not an official legal edition. 21 CFR is a U.S. Government work in the public domain; this text comes from the eCFR and the annual CFR edition, and may lag recent amendments. The authoritative version is on ecfr.gov. Compliome is not affiliated with or endorsed by FDA. Not legal advice.

What FDA inspectors cite under § 211.208

Form FDA 483 observations citing this section, fiscal years 2010–2023 (Drugs).

  • No records maintained 3
  • Salvaging performed without evidence 3
  • Salvaging and return to marketplace 3
  • Records for salvaged drug products 1

Warning letters citing § 211.208

1 FDA warning letters since 2017 cite this section :

Amendment history

Federal Register documents that created or amended this section.