Alert on Stolen Levemir Insulin

FDA is alerting the public that certain vials of the long-acting insulin Levemir were stolen and are being sold in the U.S. market. The stolen vials, which had come from three specific lots, may not have been stored or handled properly. Because of that, they may be dangerous to use. At least one patient has suffered an adverse event because of poor blood glucose control after using a vial from one of the stolen lots.

Novo Nordisk, the manufacturer of Levemir, says the following three lots were stolen: XZF0036, XZF0037, and XZF0038. These lots contain almost 130,000 vials of insulin.

Here's FDA's advice for patients who use Levemir:

•First, check your supply of insulin to see if you have Levemir from one of the affected lots. You can find the lot number on the side of the box and also on the side of the vial.

•Don't use your Levemir insulin if it comes from one of these lots. Use a vial of Levemir from another lot, and contact Novo Nordisk for instructions on what to do with vials from the stolen lots. Their number is 1-800-727-6500.

•If you have to switch to another brand of insulin for any reason, contact your healthcare provider before you do, because the dose may need to be changed.

•And as a reminder, always inspect your insulin before you use it. Levemir is a clear, colorless solution. If your Levemir looks different, check with your doctor or pharmacist.

FDA Patient Safety News: August 2009

For more information, please see our website:
http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cdrh/cfdocs/psn/transcript.cfm?show=89#4

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Insulin
• Levemir
• diabetes
• Novo Nordisk
• drug
• blood sugar
• blood glucose
• adverse event
• FDA

[jkrobertson88]

@TiredOldFart I think what they are trying to say is that the insulin was stolen from them, so they have no idea what the people who stole it did with it. For all they know they could have allowed them to be in horrible conditions. They are just trying to alert people so they don't get harmed by black market goods.

[TiredOldFart]

How do you lose control of 130,000 vials of insulin? Why aren't there storage temperature indicating devices on these to warn of improper storage?