Death toll linked to contaminated eye drops rising as more report vision loss

[riversedge]

Source: abc news




Four people have reportedly had to have their eyeballs surgically removed.
By Mary Kekatos March 22, 2023, 8:49 AM
0:46



The death toll of an outbreak linked to contaminated recalled eye drops has risen and more people have lost their vision.

According to an update issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday, the number of deaths has risen from one to three.

What's more, at least eight people have gone blind and four people have had their eyeballs surgically removed.

The CDC did not provide any information in its update about the affected patients including names, ages, sexes or where they live.

More than 10 different brands of artificial tears have been recalled. Most cases have been linked to EzriCare and Delsam Pharma eye drops, made by India-based Global Pharma Healthcare..............................

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Health/death-toll-linked-contaminated-eye-drops-rises-3/story?id=98038783

---

[Otto_Harper]

1. I still remember the days when the US sent medical supplies

to the sh1th0le countries so that there were safe supplies of medicines there. The local sources were of questionable safety and quality. Luckily for all, the regulation of such things has been removed from interfering with the profitable pursuit of business, and so we now just use the questionable stuff.

[moniss]

2. I remember it wasn't too long ago

that blood pressure meds made in India were of questionable dosage. Weaker than they were supposed to be. Could be absolutely deadly.

[Marcus IM]

4. The script has been flipped. Now, the US is the shithole nation.

I mean ... who sends their kids off to school with a hug, a kiss, and a "have a great day" when the kids are going to have to do mass shooter drills?

Who stands by when the #1 cause of children's deaths is guns?

Who stands by when the "solution" to gun deaths is more guns?

Who stands by and does nothing when their school boards are inundated with crazy fascists?

Who stands by when the #1 cause of personal bankruptcy is medical costs?


Crazytown USA. That's who.

[dalton99a]

3. Forty percent of all our generic drugs are made in India

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/11/opinion/sunday/generic-drugs-safety.html
https://archive.ph/ImWtW

Americans Need Generic Drugs. But Can They Trust Them?
The fake quality-control data, bird infestations and toxic impurities at the overseas plants that could be making your medication.
May 11, 2019

...

The F.D.A., which approved more than 1,000 new generic drug products last year, faces a vast challenge in safeguarding these medications. Nearly forty percent of all our generic drugs are made in India. Eighty percent of active ingredients for both our brand and generic drugs come from abroad, the majority from India and China. America makes almost none of its own antibiotics anymore.

In the United States, F.D.A. investigators typically show up unannounced to inspect plants. But overseas, the F.D.A. has opted to announce the vast majority of its foreign inspections in advance. Overseas plants even “invite” the F.D.A. to inspect; the investigators then become the company’s guests and agree on an inspection date in advance. Plant officials have served as hosts and helped to arrange local travel.

The F.D.A. has defended this system as the best way to ease the complex logistics of getting visas and ensuring access to the plants. But the resulting inspections are largely “staged,” say a number of F.D.A. staff members. With advance notice and low-cost labor, the plants can make anything look like anything. “You give them a weekend, they’ll put up a building,” as one F.D.A. investigator put it. ...

During his 27 months in India, of the 38 drug plants he inspected, Mr. Baker found fraudulent or deceptive data in 29 of them. As he worked, other investigators learned from his techniques. The difference was stunning, one F.D.A. employee recalled. “Like you walk into a dark room and suddenly someone just turns on the light,” the employee said. “It was shocking.”

...

[Hekate]

5. Would love to read the whole thing, if someone has a non-paywall link

My husband and I have a slew of medications — and yes, they are made in India.

[dalton99a]

8. Here is a link:

https://archive.ph/ImWtW

[Hekate]

9. Thanks!

[FakeNoose]

28. Also noted: Katherine Eban's forthcoming book

From the OP link:

Katherine Eban is the author of the forthcoming “Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom,” from which this essay is adapted.

[markodochartaigh]

13. "You give them a weekend, they'll put up a building,"

Potemkin Pharmaceuticals Ltd.

[NullTuples]

14. "FDA has opted to announce the vast majority of its foreign inspections in advance" - Um...why?

That's a choice. That's something our federal government could change with a simply policy change, they don't have to get past Republicans in Congress and ask for permission.

Why are they not protecting American lives?

[BootinUp]

22. +1

[Alwaysna]

24. One difference using generic drugs

Is that if the patient is harmed by a generic drug that patient can not sue.

[Coventina]

6. Yikes! This is horrific!!

[Hekate]

7. "More than 10 different brands of artificial tears have been recalled" But which ones exactly?

So far I’ve tried 3 or 4 links and they all say the same thing: “More than 10 different brands of artificial tears have been recalled. Most cases have been linked to EzriCare and Delsam Pharma eye drops, made by India-based Global Pharma Healthcare.”

I don’t expect you to have the answers — I’m just a little irked that even the CDC says that.

Also, as of last month a friend of mine was wearing an eyepatch to our Zoom meeting, and his story was scary. Vision went black. Eyeball full of pus. Docs giving him all kinds of drugs — prognosis iffy.

This business about the contaminated eyedrops hadn’t hit the news yet, but I immediately thought of him when it did.

[NullTuples]

16. From the most reputable coverage, 10 brands have been reported; only 2 have been recalled.

The customers who reported the ten brands typically reported and used, "multiple brands" since they didn't know which one was the cause.

But the list appears to have been narrowed down to only the two brands, EzriCare & Delsam Pharma that were found to be contaminated & recalled.

https://www.cnet.com/health/medical/cdc-posts-update-to-investigation-into-infections-linked-to-eye-drops/

https://www.fda.gov/safety/recalls-market-withdrawals-safety-alerts/global-pharma-healthcare-issues-voluntary-nationwide-recall-artificial-tears-lubricant-eye-drops-due

[Hekate]

19. Thank you

[Warpy]

10. My fancy French overpackaged, overpriced drops aren't on the list

Something tells me the contamination occurred in one of the ingredients they all use, like methylcellulose. I hope my fancy French eye drop company is testing for that, they're the only drops I've been able to use for a long time.

[Susan Calvin]

21. What is the name of the drops, please? nt

[Warpy]

23. They're Bion artificial tears

Amazon has them. They're expensive, but they seem to last longer than the alternatives.

They don't have antihistamine in them, so they won't get the red out. The ones I use are in single use vials that I can usually get 2-3 doses out of. If I contaminate the tip, though, out they go.

[Alice Kramden]

11. Just awful

K&R for visibility

[Beacool]

12. How horrible!!!

To lose your eyesight just because you put on some eyedrops is horrifying. Poor people!!!

[Farmer-Rick]

15. They had to remove people's eyes over it

"four people have had their eyeballs surgically removed."

This is seriously dangerous.

[NullTuples]

17. And you know, three people died from it. So far...

https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/cdc-recalled-ezricare-eyedrops-linked-deaths-infections-rcna76082

[Beacool]

30. Yeah, very scary.

I can't imagine having to have your eyeballs removed over some eye drops. Terrible....

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

20. This is so awful.

Something like eyedrops should not kill people, let alone cause blindness.

[Bayard]

25. K&R and OMG!

[BComplex]

26. We should quit doing any business with India. They're buying putin's oil. They're poisoning

Americans with their drugs.

I recently had two herbal remedies from the brand "Himalaya" out of India that were the opposite of what they were supposed to do. A scalp remedy for dry scalp made my hair fall out. A liver remedy made my liver enzymes (in my blood test) spike.

I've been staying away from anything that looks like it came from India, but some of it is going through other countries.

[XorXor]

27. That is terrifying

[sarisataka]

29. There was a time this would have been a huge story

I found it 5 below the announcement Wendy's is going to sell their version of the old McDonald's snack wrap