FDA: Stolen inhalers being sold at pharmacies

SILVER SPRING, Md. Some stolen inhalers for patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have turned up in pharmacies, the Food and Drug Administration warned Friday.

Two lots of GlaxoSmithKline’s Advair Diskus (fluticasone propionate and salmeterol) were stolen from a warehouse near Richmond, Va., last August, with lot numbers 9ZP2255 – NDC 0173-0696-00 and 9ZP3325 – NDC 0173-0697-00. The inhalers recently found were the first from the stolen lots to turn up in commerce, the FDA said.

Stolen medications may be harmful because of improper storage or tampering, according to the agency.