Warning to Diabetics: Fake Test Strips

A public alert issued by the Food and Drug Administration today warned diabetics to watch for counterfeit versions of test strips commonly used to monitor blood sugar levels. The test strips, for use in glucose monitors made by a Johnson & Johnson company, were distributed nationwide.

The phony test strips are for use with various models of LifeScan Inc.'s OneTouch brand of blood glucose monitors. LifeScan is part of New Brunswick, N.J.-based Johnson & Johnson. The counterfeit test strips could give incorrect blood glucose values, leading patients to take too little or too much insulin and suffer injury or death, the FDA said. Diabetics who purchased the counterfeit test strips should stop using them, replace them immediately and call a doctor. The counterfeits are:

-OneTouch Basic/Profile, lot numbers 272894A, 2619932 and 2606340. The 50-count packages are labeled in English and French.
-OneTouch Ultra, lot number 2691191. The 50-count packages are labeled in English, Greek and Portuguese.

Samples of the stripes tested by LifeScan do produce blood-glucose results, but they do not meet company specifications. The fakes were distributed nationwide but primarily in Ohio, New York, Florida, Maryland and Missouri by Medical Plastic Devices Inc., of Quebec, Canada, and Champion Sales Inc., of Brooklyn, N.Y., the FDA said.

Consumers with questions can call LifeScan at (866) 621-4855.