Dive Brief:
- Dexcom warned patients that certain scrapped glucose sensors have been stolen and resold.
- The diabetes tech firm said in a Tuesday communication that it has identified two lots of G7 continuous glucose monitors that were stolen, sold and used by some customers.
- Dexcom said it has not received any reports of severe adverse events associated with the stolen product. One lot of scrapped devices carries a risk of infection for sensors that are not properly sterilized, and another lot had an elevated internal testing failure rate, meaning users would have an increased risk of having no sensor readings available.
Dive Insight:
Dexcom said the affected sensors were stolen during the destruction process and then sold by third parties.
The company routinely scraps sensors that do not meet its standards. The sensors are sent to a third-party vendor for destruction and recycling.
Dexcom said it traced sales of the stolen devices to Pharmsource, which is not an authorized Dexcom distributor but supplies some independent pharmacies and U.S. durable medical equipment distributors. Because of this, pharmacies that purchase products from Pharmsource should review their inventory, Dexcom said.
A Pharmsource spokesperson wrote in an email that the company purchased the sensors in question from licensed distributors and had no way of knowing the product had been slated for destruction. The company immediately audited its inventory and took remedial action once it learned of the issue, the spokesperson added, emphasizing the company has no involvement in Dexcom’s destruction process.
“We will continue to assist authorities in their investigation to determine how Dexcom’s destruction protocols resulted in stolen product entering the commercial market,” the Pharmsource spokesperson wrote.
The problem primarily affects people in the U.S. People with sensors from the affected lots should not use those sensors and can call customer support to request replacements. Dexcom has set up a website to help users check if their devices are affected.
Last year, Dexcom CEO Jake Leach said the company had fixed problems with the G7 following reports of issues with CGM deployment, accuracy and Bluetooth connectivity.
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with a statement from Pharmsource.
