St. Jude says FDA approves Puerto Rico facility

ST. PAUL, Minn.—St. Jude Medical Inc. said Wednesday the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a facility in Arecibo, Puerto Rico, that will make pacemakers and cardiac leads.

The medical device maker said it will start making implantable cardioverter defibrillators at the plant later in 2008. The 150,000-square foot facility is located in Santana Industrial Park, and St. Jude said it will create 1,250 jobs within the next three years.

Implantable cardioverter defibrillators, or ICDs, are devices implanted in the chest to treat abnormal heart rhythms. Leads are the wires that connect the defibrillator to the heart.

St. Jude also has a facility in Caguas, Puerto Rico, which makes pacemakers and leads and will continue to make mechanical heart valves and vascular closure devices. The company has recently expanded plants in Sylmar, Calif., and Liberty, S.C.

Shares of St. Jude closed Tuesday at $45.97.