Man with type 2 diabetes receives medication four months out of date

A Bristol man with type 2 diabetes was left “angry” at his pharmacy for giving him diabetes medication that was four months out of date.
Darren Sode, 47, realised after a visit to Tesco Quedgeley pharmacy in Gloucester on 25 March that his Januvia (sitagliptin) tablets, which had been checked and dispensed by two people, could not be used.
Speaking to Gloucestershire Live, the 47-year-old said: “I was really angry because the expired medication could have made me very ill.”
Taking out of date medication is not recommended and issuing expired drugs is against the law. This is because medications may change their chemical and physical properties. Efficacy is also an important factor to consider because it reflects the ability of the drug to produce the desired effect.
Darren immediately contacted the chemist, and they agreed to replace the medication if he returned the expired drugs. Not happy with the way they had dealt with his complaint, Darren contacted Tesco via Facebook. There he was told a regional manager would look into the matter and respond to him in 14 days.
A Tesco spokesperson said: “We have apologised to Darre, and appreciate the seriousness of this error at our Quedgeley store pharmacy and the alarm it would have caused him.
“We have procedures in place to prevent such incidents from arising and are investigating how this happened.
“We kindly ask Mr Soden to return the product so we can arrange a replacement and also to help us further in our investigation.”
Stories such as Darren’s are thankfully rare, however it is always best to ensure that upon collecting your diabetes medication that it is not out of date and to alert your pharmacy if there are any problems.
Picture: Andrew Higgins/Thousand Word Media