united states centers for disease control prevention (CDC) has announced that there are people getting sick, going blind, and dying after using eye drops that have been contaminated with extremely drug resistant bacteria. the reported number of people harmed by this so far is probably way lower than reality considering there has never been a reported outbreak of this particular contaminant in US products before, so doctors have not exactly been expecting to test for it. expect to hear more about this over the coming weeks. these infections are extremely difficult to treat.
“CDC is collaborating with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and state and local health departments to investigate a multistate outbreak of an extensively drug-resistant strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The outbreak strain, carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa with Verona integron-mediated metallo-β-lactamase and Guiana extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (VIM-GES-CRPA), had never been reported in the United States prior to this outbreak. The outbreak is associated with multiple types of infections, including eye infections. The investigation to date has identified artificial tears as a common exposure for many patients.
At this time, CDC recommends clinicians and patients stop usingEzriCare Artificial Tears products pending additional guidance from CDC and FDA.”
“Patients reported over 10 different brands of artificial tears and some patients used multiple brands. EzriCare Artificial Tears, a preservative-free, over-the-counter product packaged in multidose bottles, was the brand most commonly reported.”
in addition to ezricare, delsam pharma artificial tears are also being recalled because they come from the same manufacturer, global pharma healthcare. this affects all lots within expiration date.
for more information about the recall, check out the FDA page.
“Risk Statement: Use of contaminated artificial tears can result in the risk of eye infections that could result in blindness.”
ANOTHER BRAND OF CONTAMINATED EYE DROP HAS BEEN NAMED: DELSAM PHARMA
updates on this, which are now reflected in the original post: the recall is now listed on the FDA website, and delsam pharma artificial tears are also from the same manufacturer as ezricare. if you went and checked your eye drops to make sure you do not use ezricare, you are also going to want to make sure you do not use delsam pharma, which are also contaminated.
below are pictures of the recalled product boxes.
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side note: reports of infections due to contaminated eye drops date back to early 2022. this is not something that happened within the past few weeks, so do not count on older lots being safe.
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