Late-night raids at Chennai pharma firm linked to eye drops causing vision loss in US
Tamil Nadu,Feb 4 : The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation and Tamil Nadu’s Drug Controller conducted a late-night raid on Chennai-based Global Pharma Healthcare on Friday after US authorities flagged a possible contamination in a line of eye drops, sources told India Today.
Global Pharma Healthcare, located 40 km south of Chennai, recalled its artificial tears lubricant eye drops allegedly linked to vision loss and one death in the US.
In a statement posted on its website, Global Pharma Healthcare said it is notifying the distributors of this product and is requesting that wholesalers, retailers and customers who have the recalled product should stop using it.
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The drug manufacturer also said it is working closely with US authorities and asked those experiencing adverse effects to seek medical help immediately.
The US Food and Drug Administration has claimed that there were 55 reports of adverse events, including eye infections, permanent loss of vision, and even death from a bloodstream infection.
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Indian drug firm recalls eye drop linked to vision loss in US
The US health regulator noted that “use of contaminated artificial tears can result in the risk of eye infections that could result in blindness.”
Artificial tears lubricant eye drops are used as a protectant against irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye. The US health authority claimed that the eye drops of Global Pharma Healthcare were contaminated with drug-resistant bacteria.
The eye drops are the latest pharmaceutical product by an Indian pharma firm to come under scrutiny after India-made cough syrups were linked to deaths among children in the Gambia and Uzbekistan last year.
-The India Today
