- Tuesday, April 16, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
Officials of India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation and the drugs controller of the southern state of Tamil Nadu carried out raids late on Friday (3) on Global Pharma Healthcare in the capital city of Chennai after authorities in the US flagged a possible contamination in a line of eyedrops, India Today reported citing sources.
The company, located 40 kilometres south of Chennai, recalled its artificial tears-lubricant eyedrops allegedly linked to the loss of vision and at least one death in the US.
Global Pharma Healthcare said in a statement posted on its website that it notified distributors of the product and requested that wholesalers, retailers, and customers who have the recalled product should not use it.
The Indian drug manufacturer also said that it is working in tandem with American authorities and urged those facing adverse effects to immediately seek medical aid.
According to the US Food and Drug Administration, 55 cases of adverse events, including eye infections, permanent loss of vision, and even death from infection in the bloodstream were reported.
The US health-regulating body said that “use of contaminated artificial tears can result in the risk of eye infections that could result in blindness”.
The eyedrops are the latest pharmaceutical product manufactured by an Indian pharma firm to come under scrutiny after India-made cough syrups were linked last year to deaths among children in the Gambia and Uzbekistan.
