Insulin Overdose Lawsuit Filed Over Blood Glucose Meter, Test Strips

Irvin Jackson

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Johnson & Johnson and two other medical device manufacturers face a wrongful death lawsuit that alleges problems with a OneTouch Ultra Blood Glucose meter and test strips caused a man to overdose on insulin. 

The insulin overdose lawsuit was filed in late December by the family of Leslie Cousin, in 24th Judicial District Court in Louisiana. According to a recent story by the Louisiana Record, the complaint indicates that Cousin died a year after going into a coma in December 2010, due to an insulin overdose from a OneTouch Ultra Blood Glucose meter.

According to allegations raised in the lawsuit, the overdose was caused by the defective glucose meter and test strips, which the family claims provided inaccurate readings. The meter incorrectly reported that Cousin’s blood sugar level was very high, leading him to take too much insulin.

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Spinal cord stimulator lawsuits are being investigated for individuals who suffered unnecessary shocks, burns or other problems, often resulting in the need for additional surgery to remove the SCS.

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The test strips, sold by Diabetes Management and Supplies and Manufactured by Lifescan Inc. were recalled due to problems with inaccurate readings, according to the lawsuit. The two companies are listed as defendants along with Johnson & Johnson.

The lawsuit accuses the defendants of designing and manufacturing a defective product and failure to warn. The family seeks damages for medical expenses, loss of income and earningcapacity, physical injury, pain and suffering, disability, emotional pain and suffering, loss of enjoyment of life, wrongful death and the cost of related expenses.

A OneTouch SureStep Tes Strips recall was issued in March 2010, affecting about 14,000 packages. The strips were recalled because they could provide incorrect blood glucose level readings. The FDA warned that the strips could give falsely low glucose results. It is unclear whether these were the strips used by Cousin.

Symptoms of high blood glucose levels can include thirst, frequent urination, headaches, problems concentrating, weakness and fatigue.

Irvin Jackson
Written by: Irvin Jackson

Senior Legal Journalist & Contributing Editor

Irvin Jackson is a senior investigative reporter at AboutLawsuits.com with more than 30 years of experience covering mass tort litigation, environmental policy, and consumer safety. He previously served as Associate Editor at Inside the EPA and contributes original reporting on product liability lawsuits, regulatory failures, and nationwide litigation trends.

Tags: Diabetes, Glucose Test Strip, Insulin Overdose, Johnson & Johnson, Louisiana

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3 Comments

Mike
I just experienced the exact same problem with one-touch ultra in June 2018…many ultra-high readings with a new meter that sent me to the ER with a life-threatening low (not able to be detected) blood sugar reading after taking too much corrective fast-acting insulin. It is consistently way above normal (100-200 point range). DO NOT BUY THIS METER!
Lee
My husband collapsed and suffered a hip fracture on October 14, 2017 due to very low blood sugar. The inaccurately high blood sugar readings from an One Touch Ultra 2 meter prompted him to take more insulin than necessary. Unfortunately, this brought his blood sugar to a dangerously low level of 40 when the accident occurred. While hospitalized we compared their lab reading to his One Touch meter result. The difference from the hospital’s meter reading was 100 points lower.
paul
I been having low sugars . so I got another meter same blood drop and after 20 different tests got 1 about the same . I was told the meter had an accuracy + or – of 10 so 20 points . I have seen readings different 30 to 100 I would have corrected for the 100 witch would of gave me a low still trying to get my license back

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