AP: Patients Have Suffered Effects from Stolen Insulin

FDA Warns Consumers of Safety Issues with Stolen Vials of Novo Nordisk Insulin

As repeated earlier in June on Secure Pharma Chain Blog and updated by Matthew Perrone from the Associated Press on August 27 the "The Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to avoid certain vials of insulin made by Novo Nordisk that were stolen earlier this year and may not be safe for use." Regulators stated that "the vials may not have been stored properly and could be dangerous to consumers."

In fact, "the FDA has received multiple reports of patients who suffered unsafe blood sugar levels after using the products." The agency "issued an alert in June after three lots of Novo Nordisk's Levemir insulin were stolen during shipment through Johnson County, NC." According to regulators, "only about two percent of the 129,000 vials have been returned."

To view the entire article visit: www.charlotteobserver.com.

Stolen Insulin Vials Resurface in U.S. Market

Stolen vials of insulin have resurfaced at a Houston area medical center. The 10-mL vials of Levemir are from lots XZF0036, XZF0037, and XZF0038. The stolen insulin discovered was part of a shipment of 129,000 vials which was stolen in February this year in route from a Novo Nordisk facility in North Carolina.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning the public that insulin from these lots may not have been stored and handled properly and therefore is not safe for use. Patients with Levemir vials from these lots should contact Nov Nordisk Customer Care Center at 800-727-6500 for instructions.

The agency said it had received one report of a patient who had an adverse event due to poor blood-glucose control after injecting insulin detemir from one of the three lots.