Stolen Advair inhalers resurface in USA

Asthma inhalers stolen from GlaxoSmithKline last year have started to show up in US pharmacies, showing that goods taken out of the legitimate supply chain can resurface months later and still be a threat to patient safety.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reiterated warnings about the dangers associated with pharmaceutical products that have been taken out of the proper supply chain, noting: "the safety and effectiveness of the stolen inhalers cannot be assured and they should not be used."

Stolen medicine may be harmful because it may have been stored at the wrong temperature or humidity or other improper conditions, may degrade or lose potency, become contaminated, or may have been tampered with or handled improperly, notes the agency.

More than 25,000 of the Advair Diskus (fluticasone propionate and salmeterol) inhalers were taken from a warehousing unit operated by a third-party logistics provider in Richmond, Virginia, in August 2009. At the time GSK said the value of the stolen shipment was approximately $5m.

Like the $76m Eli Lilly warehouse raid a few months later, the thieves gained entry to the facility via the rooftop, cutting their way through to gain access to the storage areas and disabling security equipment.

"The inhalers found recently were the first from the stolen lots to be found in commerce," said the FDA in a statement.

"However, more stolen product may still be on the market and the FDA continues to aggressively investigate the matter."

Advair - which is sold under the Seretide brandname in some markets - is GSK’s top-selling product with sales of £2.6bn ($4bn) in the first six months of 2010.

The lot numbers, doses, and quantities of the stolen Advair Diskus inhalers are as follows:

• Lot 9ZP2255 - NDC 0173-0696-00, Advair Diskus 250/50, 60 Dose, Exp: Sep 2010 (14,400 inhalers)

• Lot 9ZP3325 - NDC 0173-0697-00, Advair Diskus 500/50, 60 Dose, Exp: Sep 2010 (11,200 inhalers)