8-K

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C.  20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934

Date of Report (date of earliest event reported):  February 7, 2012

Merit Medical Systems, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

Utah	0-18592	87-0447695
(State or other jurisdiction of	(Commission	(I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)	File Number)	Identification No.)

1600 West Merit Parkway
South Jordan, Utah	84095
(Address of principal executive offices)	(Zip Code)

(801) 253-1600

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

N/A

(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

oWritten communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425)

oSoliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12)

oPre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b))

oPre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) 

Item 7.01 Regulation FD Disclosure.

On February 7th, 2012, Merit Medical Systems, Inc., a Utah corporation, issued a press release addressing correspondence it received from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. A copy of the press release is attached as Exhibit 99.1.

Item 9.01 Exhibits.

(d)    Exhibits

99.1 Press release, dated February 7, 2012, entitled: "Merit Medical Systems Receives FDA Warning Letter Regarding Merit Laureate® Hydrophilic Guidewire"

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SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.

	MERIT MEDICAL SYSTEMS, INC.
Date: February 9, 2012	By:	/s/ Rashelle Perry
		Chief Legal Officer

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EXHIBIT INDEX

EXHIBIT NUMBER	DESCRIPTION
99.1	Press Release, dated February 7, 2012, entitled "Merit Medical Systems Receives FDA Warning Letter Regarding Merit Laureate® Hydrophilic Guidewire."

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EX-99.1

Exhibit 99.1

1600 West Merit Parkway • South Jordan, UT 84095

Telephone: 801-253-1600 • Fax: 801-253-1688

PRESSRELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: February 7, 2012

Contact: Anne-Marie Wright, Vice President of Corporate Communications

Phone: (801) 208-4167 e-mail: awright@merit.com

MERIT MEDICAL SYSTEMS RECEIVES FDA WARNING LETTER

REGARDING MERIT LAUREATE® HYDROPHILIC GUIDEWIRE

SOUTH JORDAN, UTAH - Merit Medical Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: MMSI), a leading manufacturer and marketer of proprietary disposable devices used primarily in cardiology, radiology and endoscopy, today announced it received a warning letter from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding modifications to the hydrophilic coating process for the Merit Laureate® Hydrophilic Guidewire after an inspection of the Company's facility in Galway, Ireland.

“Merit takes very seriously its commitment to quality and compliance to applicable regulations, and we intend to work cooperatively with the FDA to resolve the issues in the warning letter,” said Fred P. Lampropoulos, Merit's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “The FDA warning letter applies only to the Merit Laureate®, which represented less than one percent of Merit's total revenues for 2011.”

The Company intends to respond to the letter within 15 business days, as required by the FDA. Merit has already begun to resolve the issues that were raised. In the meantime, Merit's Irish facility remains fully functional for all other products.

ABOUT MERIT

Founded in 1987, Merit Medical Systems, Inc. is engaged in the development, manufacture and distribution of proprietary disposable medical devices used in interventional and diagnostic procedures, particularly in cardiology, radiology and endoscopy. Merit serves client hospitals worldwide with a domestic and international sales force totaling approximately 130 individuals. Merit employs approximately 2,300 people worldwide with facilities in Salt Lake

City and South Jordan, Utah; Angleton, Texas; Richmond, Virginia; Maastricht and Venlo, The Netherlands; Paris, France; Galway, Ireland; Beijing, China; Copenhagen, Denmark; and Rockland, Massachusetts.

Statements contained in this release which are not purely historical, including, without limitation, statements regarding Merit's forecasted revenues, net income or other financial results, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are subject to risks and uncertainties such as those described in Merit's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010. Such risks and uncertainties include risks relating to Merit's potential inability to successfully manage growth through acquisitions, including the inability to commercialize technology acquired through recent, proposed or future acquisitions; product recalls and product liability claims; compliance with governmental regulations and administrative procedures; potential restrictions on Merit's liquidity or its ability to operate its business by its current debt agreements; possible infringement of Merit's technology or the assertion that Merit's technology infringes the rights of other parties; the potential of fines, penalties, or other adverse consequences if Merit's employees or agents violate the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act or other laws and regulations; expenditures relating to research, development, testing and regulatory approval or clearance of Merit's products and risks that such products may not be developed successfully or approved for commercial use; greater governmental scrutiny and regulation of the medical device industry; reforms to the 510(k) process administered by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; laws targeting fraud and abuse in the healthcare industry; potential for significant adverse changes in, or failure to comply with, governing regulations; increases in the price of commodity components; negative changes in economic and industry conditions in the United States and other countries; termination or interruption of relationships with Merit's suppliers, or failure of such suppliers to perform; fluctuations in Euro and GBP exchange rates; Merit's need to generate sufficient cash flow to fund its debt obligations, capital expenditures, and ongoing operations; concentration of Merit's revenues among a few products and procedures; development of new products and technology that could render Merit's existing products obsolete; market acceptance of new products; volatility in the market price of Merit's common stock; modification or limitation of governmental or private insurance reimbursement policies; changes in health care markets related to health care reform initiatives; failure to comply with applicable environmental laws; changes in key personnel; work stoppage or transportation risks; uncertainties associated with potential healthcare policy changes which may have a material adverse effect on Merit; introduction of products in a timely fashion; price and product competition; availability of labor and materials; cost increases; fluctuations in and obsolescence of inventory; and other factors referred to in Merit's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2010 and other materials filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All subsequent forward-looking statements attributable to Merit or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. Actual results will differ, and may differ materially, from anticipated results. Financial estimates are subject to change and are not intended to be relied upon as predictions of future operating results, and Merit assumes no obligation to update or disclose revisions to those estimates.

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