Test Strip Recall

Was your letter separate? I couldn't answer the door and they did leave the box of strips, but also a notice that they had something that required someone to sign. We normally get the boxes of 50, so I can't tell if these boxes are different or not, but the are gold and blue instead of white and blue. Isn't this the color of the lite strips?

I have the new test strips for my PDM but my back up meter is a Freestyle Flash. Do we think the new batch of strips from Abbott will be fine in it? I can’t get through to Abbott to ask.

I have just completed extensive testing with my new strips, and old strips - in both the Flash and *gasp* the freestyle lite meter we own.
I'll post my results in a new convo - but YES. The new strips work fine in the flash. :)

Yes - letter was separate. It's basically exactly what's on the webpage. As well as the Omnipod letter telling me exactly what's on the webpage.

All I got was the letter, which I had to sign for.....still can't through to abbott, thinking of switching to a stand alone meter because of this mess. Anybody use/happy/not with OneTouch Verio?

The letter is from Omnipod telling you about the recall and the box is a shipment of the new strips from Abbott.

I will be interested in your results. My son and others have been saying that they are the same strip all along. Some people are absolutely sure that they are not. I tossed the flash, but still have the freestyle lite meter, so I may have to do some testing as well.

I got both the regular Verio and the new synch one for my daughter before finding out that her insurance won't cover the strips. She loved the meters and the strips, and it read higher than the PDM, so I'm sure it was more accurate. We have now changed to the Nova Max, but the meter looks like a toy compared to the Verio. I am hoping that insurance eventually starts paying for the strips. The supply company tells me that One Touch needs to lower their price on them. Abbott will not make another penny off of my family. My son had already changed to regular One Touch, but the Verio strips use far less blood.

sorry if this has been posted but I received a fedexed letter from Abbott and bipod about the recall. which is ridiculous because I’ve already been in touch with Abbott.

the discrepancies in readings have been discussed here for years and denied by omnipod when we tried to contact them. this is disgusting

The Flash should work with the new batch of strips being sent out.

Got my letter today from fedex, still trying to see if the 100 strips I have are good or bad. The signed for letter from FEDEX is probably just a legal step for abbott and insulet corp. Seems to me, if you have a recall, the manufacturer abbott would post the affected LOTs of strips so we didn't have to call. I get 200 strips at a time, and the pharmacy is always ordering.

1hr 53min hold time,(put them on speaker) 400 strips and control solution ordered. I wonder if their shipping dept. is faster than Insulet's :):)
At least abbott's hold music changes every now and then!

The hold time is very long today. You are supposed to assume that all strips are bad, but the ones we received are the same ones as a couple of people already had with a date of 02/15. Any strips sent after today should have a date of 08/15 and beyond. It may be some time before pharmacies get the correct ones.

So mine are all 02/2015 expiration date, couldn't that have been conveyed in the letter and by the way if go to the pharmacy make sure they give strips with expiration date X. To me this could have been executed better by a company like abbott and omnipod.

You can't trust that they are safe just by the expiration date though, there is only one lot number that they have said is okay with that date. There is a new Facebook group that is helping to sort this all out, you might want to join it and read what has been talked about today. There were a few of us that got the replacement strips with the 02/2015 date and lot #1371831, and someone from that group was told that was an ok lot number. There is a better explanation of what actually happened, but at this point I don't trust anything Abbott says. They handle things like this with lots of secrecy instead of just coming out with the truth.

my understanding is that the strips are only “dangerous” with omnipod use. they’re fine with the outboard freestyle meter. thanks for the heads up about the Facebook group

Here is the link to the recalled meters

https://www.abbottdiabetescare.com/press-room/2014/2014-a.html

You can use the Freestyle Freedom

I was told by a supervisor's supervisor & then a Clinical Specialist at Abbott that the "previously manufactured test strips" were fine in their meters with their "new technology" but have been found to be giving "erroneously low readings" in their meters that use the "older technology" such as the two now recalled meters, and the meter built into the Omnipod PDM which has NOT been recalled (....yet?) I was told that the Freedom meter (not to be confused with the Freedom Lite meter) has the "newer technology" which is why it's OK.

I kept pushing and asking questions making sure they knew I was an RN and as a Director of Nursing am on the FDA (email) Watchlist for recalls and that I knew it wasn't listed with the FDA yet. (as of this morning the FDA site STILL didn't have the new recall listed, only the November one). I was carefully told that it was a "voluntary" recall, but I pointed out that even "voluntary recalls" must still be reported & listed. And up the totem pole I was sent. ::lol::

BTW, I wasn't asked for my insurance & doctor info until I insisted on knowing if my pharmacy would have appropriate test strips available when my 400 "no charge" (I refuse to call them "free")strips ran out. I refused to hang up w/o an answer to that question, and finally it was admitted that "Abbott is unable to determine that at this time" and only then was I offered an additional shipment "at a later date due to the limited quantity currently available of the remanufactured test strips" and was subsequently asked for my insurance, pharmacy, & doctor's info.

This RN's opinion is that they don't have a solid plan for "later on" yet! It has to be complicated for both them and the FDA, due to the TWO companies (Insulet & Abbott) being involved in what is truly TWO different medical devices IN ONE. I would not be surprised to see another "voluntary recall" of the PDM's, replacing them with a built-in meter w/ "newer technology". I truly hope that is in the works!!

SueSue, Im with you. I agree that Insulet has to recall and insert newer technology into its PDM's, Its a shame that we were all converted over to the new smaller pods over the last 8 months with the new PDM and now to find out it was really old technology. I have my daughter double testing on the PDM and the Freestyle freedom. ( she hates me now LOL) tonight we used the new strips we got today in the mail in the PDM, got 276, and also tested in the freestyle freedom and we got 291. so pretty close, and as we all know the FDA says it acceptable to have up to a 20% difference between meters. anyway my 2 cents.

Hi all, I just received a letter via fed ex about this from omnipod, we have actually been using the free style lite strips for years and they seem fine was told they are basically the same just labeled differently, Jacobs readings seem ok. we are due for a refill I thought I might just order that. is anyone just using the strips anyways????