Contaminated Eyedrops from India Suspected in Deadly Outbreak Across 16 US States

According to US health officials, drug-resistant bacterial contamination in eyedrops may have killed one individual and severely injured several others.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has discovered 68 patients with a rare strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa across 16 states.

Prior to this epidemic, the strain had never been discovered in the United States.
In addition to one death, eight patients have lost eyesight and four have had their eyes surgically removed.
According to the CDC, the majority of people diagnosed with the infection used eyedrops and artificial tears.
According to the CDC, ten different brands were originally identified as potentially linked to the outbreak.

Eyedrops manufactured in India and imported to the United States under two brands were later removed from store shelves in January and February.
The CDC issued a warning in January to cease using EzriCare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Tears. Following an official suggestion from the Food and Drug Administration, the company that owns the brands, Global Pharma, issued a voluntary recall the following month. (FDA).
The bacteria were discovered in open bottles removed from patients during testing, according to the CDC. Unopened bottles are being tested right now to see if contamination happened during the manufacturing process.

Last week, a woman in Florida filed a lawsuit against the drug firm, alleging that an infection she contracted after using their product required doctors to remove one of her eyes.
The contamination, according to the woman’s lawyer, was caused by a dearth of preservatives in the eyedrops.
“There are likely many more people who have had infections and are unaware,” said lawyer Natasha Cortes.
According to an EzriCare representative, testing has not conclusively connected the outbreak to their products.
“We have contacted customers to the greatest extent possible to advise them against continuing to use the product,” a spokesperson said.
“We also immediately contacted both the CDC and the FDA and expressed our willingness to cooperate with any requests they had for us.”