The Department of Health (DH) was notified by Johnson & Johnson (Hong Kong) Limited that the company was following up whether the LifeScan OneTouch Ultra blood glucose meters supplied to Hong Kong were of the same design and software as those available in United Kingdom.

A DH spokesman said that the unit of measurement of some meters of this model in United Kingdom might change from mmol/L to mg/dL if the meter was dropped or if the battery was changed when the meter was switched on.

The spokesman said, "As a precautionary measure, users of any brands of blood glucose meters should always check and ensure that the unit of measurement is in mmol/L in every test. If the unit of measurement is in mg/dL, they should immediately contact their suppliers."

"Members of the public are advised to follow strictly instructions in the manual when using blood glucose meters."

The spokesman said that DH had informed the public and private hospitals, nursing homes, medical professional associations, and diabetes patient support groups about this safety issue.

DH has not received any report of adverse events related to the unit of measurement issue, he added.

Relevant information has also been posted on the MDCO website http://www.mdco.gov.hk/english/recalls/recalls.html .

Ends/Tuesday, December 19, 2006
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