The FDA warns against the use of 26 eye drop products due to the risk of infection
FDA warns against use of 26 eye drop products due to risk of infection 00:33
Another eye drop recall will see 27 products removed from store shelves, including private label products sold at retailers such as CVS, Rite Aid, Target and Walmart. The recall comes about three weeks after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned people not to buy or use eye drops.
Kilitch Healthcare India is recalling eye drops with an expiration date between November 2023 and September 2025, citing “potential safety concerns after FDA investigators found unsanitary conditions,” an FDA press release issued on Wednesday said. The full list of recalled eye drops can be found here.
The FDA cited a “risk of eye infections that could result in partial vision loss or blindness” when it urged against use of the products in late October. The agency said its investigators found unsanitary conditions and “positive bacterial test results” in areas of the unknown manufacturing site.
Some of the eye drops may already have been removed from stores, as the FDA said earlier this month that CVS, Rite Aid and Target would be removing the products from their shelves and websites.
The recall notice said that dealers and retailers who have any of the recalled products should stop selling those products. In the meantime, consumers should stop using the recalled eye drops and return the products to where they purchased them, the FDA said.
Unhygienic conditions
Bloomberg News reported that Kilitch made the eye drops in an unsanitary factory in India where some workers went barefoot and fabricated other test results that supposedly showed the products were sterile.
The FDA warning led Cardinal Health to recall six Leader brand eye products in early November, while Harvard Drug Group recalled Rugby Laboratories brand eye drops.
The FDA announced a spate of eye drop product recalls earlier this year that were linked to four deaths and several cases of vision loss. In August, it warned against using two additional eye drop products because of the risk of bacterial or fungal infection.
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