Indian eyedrops come under CDC scrutiny after Gambia, Uzbek cough syrup deaths

In the United States, the top medical watchdog has raised concerns over the likelihood of a highly drug-resistant bacteria in eyedrops manufactured by an Indian company, according to a report published by The New York Times. 

Citing the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the report stated that three deaths, eight cases of blindness, and dozens of infections have been traced to eyedrops which are produced by Chennai-based Global Pharma Healthcare. The name of the eyedrops is ‘EzriCare Artificial Tears’.

CDC stated that this highly drug-resistant bacteria tied to the eyedrops could gain a foothold in the US. 

However, in February, Global Pharma Healthcare had stopped the production of the eye drops linked to the US market. The company has also voluntarily recalled at the consumer level all unexpired lots of EzriCare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharma's Artificial Tears, the newspaper reported. 

The US Food and Drug Administration has also stated that contaminated artificial tears can result in blindness or death. 

"Patients who have used EzriCare or Delsam Pharma's artificial tears and who have signs or symptoms of an eye infection should seek medical care immediately," the US medical watchdog said on its website in its last update related to Indian eyedrops matter on March 21. 

It is pertinent to note that eyedrops made by a Chennai-based pharma company is the latest Indian pharmaceutical product that has come under scrutiny. Earlier, dozens of deaths were reported among children in Gambia and Uzbekistan last year allegedly due to Indian cough syrups. 

The incident of Uzbekistan deaths that reported 18 deaths among children came close on the heels of a similar one in Gambia, where a parliamentary committee linked the deaths of at least 70 children to cough and cold syrups manufactured by New Delhi-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals.