Ministry issues circular on insulin cartridge holders

Though these are not in local market, advisory issued in the interest of public safety

The Ministry of Health and Prevention issued a circular based on a warning by the US Food and Drug Administration concerning insulin cartridge holders used in certain NovoPen Echo insulin delivery devices.

The ministry pointed out that the manufacturer has confirmed that none of the affected products are available in the UAE, and the ministry added that this advisory was issued in the interest of public safety.

The circular stated that the manufacturer, Novo Nordisk, is initiating a recall of the cartridge holders because they may crack or break when exposed to certain chemicals, such as cleaning agents.

Using a device with a cracked or broken cartridge holder may result in the device delivering a reduced dose of insulin, which could potentially lead to high blood sugar.

The ministry also issued a circular regarding a warning issued by the UK’s medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency on Unomedical high concentration oxygen masks due to a risk of hypoxia as the tubing can disconnect from the oxygen mask during use. The ministry added that the product is not registered in the ministry’s medicine department, and that the notification was issued in the interest of public safety.

Dr Ameen Hussain Al Amiri, assistant undersecretary for Public Health Policy and Licensing, stressed the ministry’s keenness to follow up on all alerts and proposals provided by pharmaceutical companies and accordingly notifying the public.