National Medical Care Decree Dissolved

Walnut Creek-based Fresenius Medical Care’s North American unit said a federal judge dissolved a consent decree against the National Medical Care Inc. subsidiary it acquired in September. The decree, signed voluntarily by National Medical Care in 1994, required the company to correct manufacturing problems at five of its U.S. facilities or face shutdown and subjected the unit to frequent inspections by the Food and Drug Administration. For National Medical Care, formerly a unit of W.R. Grace & Co., the lifting of the decree means the dialysis services and products company can better concentrate on operations because it won’t have to devote plant personnel to the frequent FDA inspections, Fresenius executives said. National Medical Care merged with Fresenius Dialysis last year.