Medtronic Inc. on Friday issued a new warning for patients using its implantable drug pumps, citing reports of a battery defect that could lead some of the pain-killing devices to fail. The company’s SynchroMed II pumps, which are used to treat chronic pain and manage severe cerebral or spinal pain, issued an urgent medical device correction for a small number of implants affected by a film in the pump’s battery. A sudden loss of drug therapy could prompt the return of patients’ underlying symptoms or withdrawal symptoms, a potentially life-threatening condition. Medtronic first raised the issue in a July 2009 letter to doctors. The pumps, though widespread, represent a portion of Medtronic’s neuromodulation business, which itself accounted for about 10% of the company’s overall revenue over the past three years.
