Advair Diskus Asthma Inhalers Being Recalled

Nov 19, 2004 | www.cm-life.com CMU Health Services is recalling 25 lots of Advair Diskus 100/50 mcg strength 60 dose dry powder inhalers for a defect that occurred during manufacturing.

The defect may cause a person using the inhaler to not receive the proper dose of medication, officials said.

The inhalers were manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline at a Zebulon, N.C. facility between March 17 and May of this year. They were distributed in the United States from July 1 until Oct. 6, the company announced this week.

GlaxoSmithKline reports that approximately 150 inhalers out of the 410,000 in 25 lots will not work properly.

Sarah Campbell, director of University Health Services, said the chance of having a defective inhaler is a fraction of a percent.

“The risk is very low for the two to three dozen students from CMU that have purchased these inhalers from us,” Campbell said.

Although the risk is very low, Campbell wants each student possessing these inhalers to check the lot number on the inhaler to be safe.

“The devices are clearly labeled so it should be pretty easy to check,” Campbell said.

Campbell said any student with a defective inhaler should cease using the device and bring it to Health Services, Foust Hall 249, for a free replacement.

“They don’t have to be alarmed by it,” Campbell said. “They should still use it because even though it may not be giving proper dosage it could be giving them some.”

The Advair Diskus inhalers are used for long term asthma, not the more severe, acute forms of asthma, Campbell said.

Craig Buys, University Health Services pharmacist, said he was surprised the recall wasn’t as large as some people first expected.

“When we first heard that there was going to be a withdrawal we thought it was going to be a lot,” Buys said.

Affected Advair Diskus lots
4ZP2067
4ZP2104
4ZP2201
4ZP2216
4ZP2217
4ZP2229
4ZP2377
4ZP2474
4ZP2475
4ZP2619
4ZP2759
4ZP2807
4ZP2913
4ZP2901
4ZP3041
4ZP3042
4ZP3139