Resold diabetes strips cause health concerns
By Andrea K. Walker, The Baltimore Sun | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
An Internet search for "sell diabetes strips" turns up numerous websites offering to buy the strips via mail.
The demand for more affordable strips -- some brands cost
The companies say they provide diabetics with cheaper medical supplies, but health officials warn that there is no clear way to know if the people who previously owned the strips stored them correctly or never opened them. They also worry that diabetics strapped for cash will sell the strips when they should be using them to monitor their condition.
"There is no guarantee of the quality because these strips are sensitive to temperature and expiration," said
If the vials that hold the strips have been opened by a previous owner who has pricked a finger, they may have trace amounts of blood, which pose a risk of infection, according to the
"The bottom line is that we think this is a public health concern," said
The
Companies that resell packaged strips don't need to register with the
The
"The
She recommended consumers use their judgment on whether they are buying test strips from a medical facility or pharmacy. Consumers should be cautious about online outlets, and purchasing strips out of a car, truck or home might be questionable, she added.
"People should be careful about where they are buying these test strips, and people should buy them from a reputable organization," Lias said.
The resale market is growing mostly on the Internet on websites such as quickcash4teststrips.com, traderjackproducts.com and sellyourteststrips.com. Many promise quick cash, and some even offer pick-up services.
Several resellers contacted by The
According to
The strips come from people whose diabetic relatives died, leaving unused strips, or from people who don't need them anymore, such as a mother who had gestational diabetes while pregnant but whose condition improved after delivery, Livingstone said.
While acknowledging there is no way of knowing how people have stored strips, she said she takes as many precautions as possible. She doesn't resell strips that are expired or purchased by
"I do the best I can to get a decent quality," Livingstone said, adding that she offers refunds if there are problems with the product. "I do everything I can to make this an above-board process. I wouldn't do anything to cause anybody any harm or distress."
On streets around
Workers at the shop declined to comment about the business on several occasions, referring questions to the owner, who they said was out of town. The owner did not return repeated phone calls and messages.
The business' website shows it is owned by
Its website says it generally gives the strips, or sells them at lower costs, to diabetics who don't have insurance or can't afford them.
The medical costs for patients trying to control diabetes has long been a concern among health advocates. The number of people with the disease has grown to 25.8 million children and adults, or 8.3 percent of the population. Worldwide, the number of people using glucose machines to self-monitor blood sugar levels grew more than 50 percent from 2007 to 2013, according to
This demand is likely driving the diabetes resale business and raising potential for fraud, Lias said.
"My best guess is that these test strips are expensive and people don't have enough money for the number of strips that they need," Lias said. "People are trying to save money, and other people are trying to take advantage of that."
Various types of fraud associated with the strips have been investigated by the federal
Last year, the agency said it recovered a half-million dollars from two companies,
"Documents can be falsified. People can lie to their physicians," Peragine said. "A lot of those things can come into effect when trying to pinpoint how many strips a
The
Doctors said the cost of diabetes supplies sometimes tempts patients take shortcuts in their care, such self-testing less often than they should.
"It can become challenging for patients on a fixed income to obtain all these drugs and medical supplies," said
At Bon Secours, emergency room visits from people suffering from complications of diabetes have increased, as they have at other area hospitals.
Sheikh doesn't know of Bon Secours patients buying second-hand strips, but said the practice could be risky.
"Patients are buying this, and they don't know what they are getting," Sheikh said.
Glucose levels need to be monitored three times a day for some people, and not testing can put a person's health at risk, said
Golden recalled a patient who gave his glucometer machine to a friend who didn't have one, so he wasn't testing his own glucose levels. Test strips are the most expensive part of diabetes management, she said.
"The whole issue really speaks to the need for insurers and health care providers to work together on how we can get this important expense covered for patients so they don't have to feel they need to turn to an alternative," Golden said.
The diabetes association's Rogers said she worries that companies are targeting the large number of patients who came on the
"They're incentivizing them to sell these strips," she said.
Baltimore Sun Researcher
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