Lilly Enlists Pharmacists to Recover Stolen Drugs

Following the theft of $75 million in prescription drugs from its warehouse in Enfield, Connecticut on March 14, Eli Lilly and Company issued a press release yesterday asking pharmacists and other practitioners to assist in recovery efforts.

The thieves reportedly entered the warehouse through a hole in the roof and stole enough drugs to fill a tractor-trailer, according to the Associated Press. Since then, the drug firm has been working with the FDA and law enforcement officials to identify and return the stolen products, which include cases of Prozac, Cymbalta, and Zyprexa, among other drugs.

Lilly halted distribution of the affected lot numbers on Monday, and is recommending that pharmacists and patients closely inspect products and labels for any indication of damage or tampering. Warning signs include broken induction seals, drugs removed from their containers, or flip caps on glass vials that have been damaged or otherwise compromised.

The company is also asking anyone with information regarding the theft to report to the FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations by calling (800) 551-3989 or visiting the agency online at www.fda.gov/OCI. Fionnuala M. Walsh, Lilly's senior vice president of global quality, says they will continue to work closely with police, the FDA, and distributors to ensure no stolen medicines are given to patients.

Pharmacists should closely inspect any products on the following list of impacted medicines before distributing them:

Product Description National Drug Code Lot Number Expiry Date ---------------------- ------------------ ---------- ----------- ALIMTA FINJ 500MG X1 lyophilizedVIAL AM 00002-7623-01 A671076C 8/31/2011 ----------------------- ------------- -------- --------- CYMBALTA CAP 30MG X 30 BTL AM 00002-3240-30 A643056A 5/31/2012 ----------------------- ------------- -------- --------- CYMBALTA CAP 30MG X 30 BTL AM 00002-3240-30 A662278C 7/31/2012 ----------------------- ------------- -------- --------- CYMBALTA CAP 30MG X 30 BTL AM 00002-3240-30 A662281A 7/31/2012 ----------------------- ------------- -------- --------- CYMBALTA CAP 60MG X30BOTL AM 00002-3270-30 A672999A 9/30/2011 ----------------------- ------------ -------- --------- CYMBALTA CAP 60MG X1000BOTL AM 00002-3270-04 A685790A 10/31/2011 ----------------------- ------------- -------- --------- EFFIENT TAB 10MG X30BOTL AM 00002-4759-30 A650259A 12/31/2010 ----------------------- ------------- -------- --------- GEMZAR 200MG VIALS 00002-7501-01 A670185A 8/31/2011 ----------------------- ------------- -------- --------- GEMZAR 1 GRAM VIALS 00002-7502-01 A668160D 8/31/2011 ----------------------- ------------- -------- --------- GEMZAR 1 GRAM VIALS 00002-7502-01 A670177A 9/30/2011 ----------------------- ------------- -------- --------- GEMZAR 1 GRAM VIALS 00002-7502-01 A670180A 8/31/2011 ----------------------- ------------- -------- --------- GEMZAR 1 GRAM VIALS 00002-7502-01 A670182A 9/30/2011 ----------------------- ------------- -------- --------- PROZAC PULV 20MG X 30 BOTL DP 00777-3105-30 A599046D 1/31/2012 ----------------------- ------------- -------- --------- PROZAC PULV 20MG X 30 BOTL DP 00777-3105-30 A689619D 10/31/2012 ----------------------- ------------- -------- --------- PROZAC PULV 40MG X 30 BOTL DP 00777-3107-30 A602567A 1/31/2012 ----------------------- ------------ -------- --------- STRATTERA CAP 10MG X 30 BOTL AM 00002-3227-30 A621189A 3/31/2012 ----------------------- ------------- -------- --------- STRATTERA CAP 25MG X 30 BOTL AM 00002-3228-30 A678353A 2/29/2012 ----------------------- ------------- -------- --------- STRATTERA CAP 60MG X 30 BOTL AM 00002-3239-30 A621202A 3/31/2012 ------------------------ ------------- -------- --------- STRATTERA CAP 100MG X30BOTL AM 00002-3251-30 A621205C 3/31/2012 ------------------------ ------------- -------- --------- SYMBYAX CAP 6/25MG X 30 BOTL AM 00002-3231-30 A562684A 10/31/2011 ------------------------ ------------- -------- ---------- ZYPREXA TAB 2.5MG X30BOTL AM 00002-4112-30 A644710A 5/31/2011 ------------------------ ------------- -------- --------- ZYPREXA TAB 5MG X30BOTL AM 00002-4115-30 A668322A 8/31/2011 ------------------------ ------------- -------- --------- ZYPREXA TAB 7.5MG X30BOTL AM 00002-4116-30 A646193A 5/31/2011 ------------------------ ------------- -------- --------- ZYPREXA TAB 10MG X30BOTL AM 00002-4117-30 A641350C 5/31/2012 ------------------------ ------------- -------- --------- ZYPREXA TAB 10MG X30BOTL AM 00002-4117-30 A668323A 8/31/2012 ------------------------ ------------- -------- --------- ZYPREXA TAB 15MG X 1000 BOTL AM 00002-4415-04 A647860A 5/31/2012 ------------------------ ------------- -------- --------- ZYPREXA TAB 15MG X30BOTL AM 00002-4415-30 A690238A 10/31/2012 ------------------------ ------------- -------- --------- ZYPREXA TAB 20MG X30BOTL AM 00002-4420-30 A677956A 8/31/2012 ------------------------ ------------- -------- --------- ZYPREXA TAB 20MG X30BOTL AM 00002-4420-30 A677958C 8/31/2012 ------------------------ ------------- -------- --------- ZYPREXA TAB ID100 10MG XID100BLCD AM 00002-4117-33 A632252D 4/30/2012 ------------------------ ------------- -------- --------- ZYPREXA ZYDIS TAB 5MG X 30 SACH AM 00002-4453-85 976041A 7/1/2012 ------------------------ ------------- ------- --------- ZYPREXA ZYDIS TAB 10MG X 30 SACH AM 00002-4454-85 971159A 7/1/2012 ------------------------ ------------- ------- --------- ZYPREXA ZYDIS TAB 20MG X 30 SACH AM 00002-4456-85 963999A 5/1/2012 ------------------------ ------------- ------- ---------