Lilly Releases List of Stolen Products

[Updated March 24, 2010]

Cheryl A. Thompson

BETHESDA, MD 18 March 2010—Pharmacies that receive or purchase Alimta, Cymbalta, Effient, Gemzar, Prozac, Strattera, Symbyax, or Zyprexa after March 14 should first check the lot numbers against the list of stolen products that Eli Lilly and Company released today.

Update 24 March 2010—Lilly on March 23 updated its list of stolen products (PDF) after confirming that two more lots had been taken in the March 14 theft. In all, 34 lots were stolen.

The products, reported in the media to be worth a total of $75 million, were stolen March 14 from a Lilly-owned distribution center in Enfield, Connecticut.

Products in the affected lots were in the midst of being delivered from Lilly to retailers, wholesalers, and institutions, the company said.

Because of the theft, the company on March 15 stopped distributing products from those lots. Products received from Lilly before March 14 were not part of the stolen merchandise.

The company advised health care practitioners, pharmacies, and consumers to purchase its products only from well-established, trusted, reputable sources and be suspicious if a sale price is unusually low. Also, check products for signs of tampering or damage before making the purchase or using the item.

Anyone with information about the theft or whereabouts of the stolen products should contact the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations by calling 800-551-3989 or visiting the group's website.