Insulin syringes sold at WalMart and Sam’s Club have been recalled by the FDA. The manufacturer of the syringes, Covidien Ltd. is recalling 471,000 ReliOn disposable syringes because of a mislabeling error that could cause patients to receive 2.5 times the intended dosage.
According to the FDA, “the recall applies to the following lot number and product information:
— Lot Number 813900
— ReliOn 1cc, 31-gauge, 100 units for use with U-100 insulin
Only ReliOn syringes from this lot number and labeled as 100 units for use with U-100 insulin are the subject of the recall.”
During the packaging process for this lot, some syringes labeled for use with U-40 insulin were mixed with syringes labeled for use with U-100 insulin, then all packaged individually and in boxes as 100 units for use with U-100 insulin.
The manufacturer has distributed 4,710 boxes in the recalled lot, which equals 471,000 individual syringes. Wal-Mart sold the syringes at Wal-Mart stores and Sam’s Clubs from Aug. 1, 2008, until Oct. 8, 2008.