The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday that Abbott Laboratories is recalling as many as 359 million diabetes testing strips because they may give falsely low blood sugar results. The testing strips are used to help diabetics check their blood sugar levels. But the FDA said the falsely low blood glucose results can lead patients to try to raise their blood sugar levels when it isn't necessary, or to fail to treat elevated blood glucose due to a falsely low reading. Both scenarios pose health risks. The FDA said the problems are caused by a defect that limits the amount of blood absorbed by each strip. Abbott is recalling 359 lots marketed under these brand names: Precision Xceed Pro, Precision Xtra, Medisense Optium, Optium, OptiumEZ and ReliOn Ultima. The test strips, which were manufactured between January and May 2010, are sold both in retail and online settings directly to consumers, but are also used in health-care facilities, the FDA said. Abbott said it will replace the test strips for free.
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