Israeli drug maker Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. plans to stop making a sedative that came under scrutiny by regulators for production issues at its Irvine plant.
Teva said it will stop making propofol, a sedative used during surgery that was made until earlier this year in Irvine.
Propofol gained notoriety in the death of Michael Jackson last year.
Teva recalled some propofol last year after high levels of toxins were found at its Irvine plant.
The Food and Drug Administration found “significant” manufacturing violations at the plant last year.
The company said its data show the drug to be safe and effective when used properly and plans to quit making it for business reasons.
Denise Bradley, a Teva spokeswoman, told the Associated Press that propofol is hard to make and that the company gets little or no profit from it.
In addition, Teva is facing some 250 lawsuits connected to the drug, including some connected to a hepatitis C outbreak in 2008 that infected as many as 114 people.
There has been a shortage of propofol since last fall, according to the FDA.
Manufacturing problems forced both Teva and Hospira Inc., a suburban Chicago drug and device maker, to suspend making propofol and recall some of their versions of the drug.
Teva, whose U.S. headquarters is in suburban Philadelphia, hasn’t made propofol since mid-April, but is planning to sell what it’s already made.
Hospira said that it can’t resume selling propofol until the FDA approves changes to its manufacturing procedures.
Teva came to Irvine through its late 2003 buy of Sicor Inc., a generic drug maker.
