India-manufactured eye drop linked to rare strain in US

The over-the-counter eye drops produced by Chennai-based Global Pharma Healthcare is amid major controversy in the United States. The Ezricare Artificial Tears is being associated with various types of infections including eye infections, The Indian Express reported.

The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated the drug-resistant bacterium strain which is causing the infection. According to the CDC, the organism might have spread via contaminated point sources like eye drops with secondary transmission among contacts in some settings.

The strain is named- VIM-GES-CRPA, a rare strain that has been reported in the US prior to this and has been found in 68 cases from 16 states. The probe found that of these 37 patients were linked to four healthcare facility groups.

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The situation is grim as three people have died and there have been around 8 cases of losing eyesight and around 4 reports of surgical removal of eyeballs.

The CDC has based these conclusions on their probe at these health centres and also after testing opened bottles of eye drops. The CDC found contamination in different lots of eye drop bottles.

The pharma company, in February, had recalled the eye drops.

Asked if the contamination could have happened during transportation or storage, the CDC, in an email response to The Indian Express, said this was unlikely.

The CDC's conclusion is based on its investigations at healthcare centres from where the cases were reported and testing of opened bottles of the eye drops.

In February this year, the company initiated a voluntary recall of eye drops.

The CDC tested open bottles of the eye drops and found contamination in multiple lots. It said that the argument of contamination being introduced in the process of usage can be disputed as CDC has checked unopened bottles of the eye drops.

Meanwhile, Indian drug regulators have said that its tests didn’t reveal any contamination. The Ministry of Health and Family and Welfare sources said that it has also not found any contaminants.