FDA says hospitals should stop using Hospira pump

The federal government says health care facilities should stop using Hospira’s Symbiq medication infusion pump because of its vulnerability to hacking.

The Food and Drug Administration said Friday it’s the first time it has warned caregivers to stop using a product because of a cybersecurity risk. A week ago, automaker Fiat Chrysler recalled 1.4 million vehicles because of a flaw that made them vulnerable to hackers.

The FDA says the computerized pumps could be accessed remotely through a hospital’s network, but it doesn’t know of any cases where that has happened.

Cybersecurity experts and the Department of Homeland Security have said the device could be hacked and remotely controlled, allowing an intruder to change the amount of medication a patient received.

Hospira Inc. stopped making Symbiq pumps in 2013.