Diabetes Sensors Recall: Deaths & Injuries Reported

This operation concerns “certain FreeStyle Libre 3 and FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensors,” said the pharmaceutical company Abbott.

Be careful if you are diabetic. A large recall campaign for blood glucose sensors is underway in seventeen countries, including France and the United States, after the identification of a malfunction which could be linked to seven deaths, the pharmaceutical company Abbott announced on Wednesday, December 3.

This operation concerns “certain FreeStyle Libre 3 and FreeStyle Libre 3 Plus sensors” used by diabetic patients, this manager detailed in a press release, explaining that “Internal testing has determined that some of these sensors may provide incorrect low blood sugar readings.” The defective devices are linked to a single production line, said the company, which alerted the health authorities of the countries in which they were marketed and initiated a recall action. The company said it has received reports to date of seven deaths and 736 serious incidents that could be linked to this malfunction.

Used in the management of diabetes, blood glucose sensors continuously monitor glucose, and thus help patients prevent the risk of hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia which, if left untreated, can cause a coma or cause death.

In the United States alone, around three million defective sensors have been distributed, estimates the Abbott company. The other countries affected are Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.