SINGAPORE - Pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk is recalling an affected batch of insulin cartridge holders that might cause diabetic patients to have higher than expected blood sugar levels.

These cartridge holders are used in the NovoPen Echo, a device that helps in the injection of insulin. Novo Nordisk has sold 50 cartridges from that batch in Singapore.

The cartridge holders are made from a material that might cause them to break or crack if exposed to certain chemicals, such as those in cleaning agents.

Patients who use a device with a cracked or broken cartridge holder may end up getting smaller doses of insulin than expected, leading to high blood sugar.

However, the risk of experiencing high blood sugar due to a device with an affected cartridge holder is less than one in 1,000 patients.

The affected cartridge holders are from the batch FVG8413. Of those affected in Singapore, 27 patients have been contacted while the rest have not been identified.

Patients with the affected cartridge holder can contact the local Novo Nordisk Customer Service or register their contact details on the Novo Nordisk website. They will receive a replacement cartridge holder by post.