Stay away from deadly contaminated eyedrop brands – FDA cautions public

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has cautioned the public against two brands of eyedrops suspected to have killed three people in the United States.

The products are Ezricare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Tears by Global Pharma.

According to FDA’s statement issued on Thursday, March 23, 2023, the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (USCDC) found that the eyedrops contained the drug-resistant bacteria pseudomonas aeruginosa.

They are also suspected of leading to three deaths and vision loss in eight patients.

This has led the manufacturers to recall the products.

FDA added that the products have not been registered with the authority “therefore, they should not be commercially available on the Ghanaian market.”

“However, the FDA advises the public who may be in possession of these drugs through other means to immediately stop using the recalled products, Ezricare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Tears, and submit them to any of the FDA offices nationwide,” the alert stated.

They urged those who have accidentally used the product and are experiencing any symptoms should contact a medical professional immediately.

Reported symptoms include yellow, green or clear discharge from the eye, eye pain or discomfort, redness, the feeling of a substance on the eye, increased sensitivity to light and blurred vision.

Below are the images of the contaminated products