Stolen insulin has been discovered at a Houston-area medical facility, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning people who use Levemir insulin to take steps to make sure it’s not from the stolen lots.
The FDA said Saturday it has received one report of a patient “who suffered an adverse event due to ppor control of glucose levels” after using a vial of the stolen insulin.
Novo Nordisk of Bagsvaerd, Denmark, said over the weekend that three lots of 10-milliliter vials of its Levemir insulin were stolen in a theft – or an estimated 129,000 vials. One or more of those vials surfaced in a Houston medical facility, which the company did not identify.
Some people with diabetes are required to take insulin shots in order for their bodies to make use of glucose. The FDA said the stolen insulin poses a potential danger to diabetics because it may not have been stored and handled properly.
Bot the FDA and Novo Nordisk said the stolen Levemir vials can be identified by the lot numbers: XZF0036, XZF0037 or XZF0038. The lot numbers are located on the side of the box or vial of insulin.
The agency and the company both warned people not to use insulin if they find it is from one of the stoen lots. Novo Nordisk said patients finding such vials should call its customer care center at 1-800-727-6500.
“The safety of our patients is of paramount concern and we are working with our partners, the pharmacy, the FDA and law enforcement authorities to investigate the situation and take immediate steps to maintain the highest standard of safety and quality for our products,” the company said in a statement released Saturday.
The FDA advised diabetes patients to check with their doctors before switching to another brand of insulin, because doing so may require dose adjustments.
