Eye drops are withdrawn after being associated with vision loss and one death

The manufacturer of EzriCare Artificial Tears said it was retrieving eye drops after U.S. health authorities linked the product to a drug-resistant strain of bacteria.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the strain of bacteria associated with artificial ezercare tears had been found in 55 people in a dozen states as of Tuesday.

The manufacturer of the over-the-counter eye drops brand said it is recalling the product, EzriCare Artificial Tirs, after it was linked to a drug-resistant bacterial strain that caused at least one death and vision loss in five others. . The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has advised people to stop using eye drops, as the agency investigates outbreaks of a strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can cause infections in the blood, lungs and other parts of the body. This strain of bacteria was not recognized in the United States before the current outbreak and is resistant to a class of antibiotics called carbapenems, which are generally considered a last resort.The strain of bacteria was found in 55 people in 12 states as of Tuesday, the CDC. Say. The agency said the infection caused one death and vision loss in five of the 11 people with eye infections and some hospitalizations. Global Pharma, the Indian company that makes EzriCare eye drops, said it retrieves eye drops "out of an abundance of caution".

"Global Pharma is fully cooperating with US federal authorities, and continues to investigate this matter, but to date we have not determined whether our manufacturing facility is the source of the contamination," the company said in an emailed statement. Most people affected by the outbreak used artificial tears before infection, CDC. Say. The agency said they have reported using more than 10 types of artificial tears, and some patients have used more than one, but EzriCare Artificial Tears is the most popular brand.

CDC said it found the drug-resistant strain of bacteria in open bottles of EzriCare eye drops collected from patients with and without eye infections. The agency tests unopened bottles to determine if contamination occurred during the manufacturing process. The strain of bacteria was found in people in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin between May 2022 and January, according to the CDC. Of those 55 cases, 35 were linked to four clusters of health care facilities, the agency said.CDC said that people who have used EzriCare synthetic tears and who have shown signs of eye inflammation should seek medical attention immediately. Symptoms can include yellow, green, or clear discharge from the eye, redness of the eyes or eyelid, increased sensitivity to light and eye pain or discomfort.

Dr. Thomas L. Steinman, a spokesman for the American Academy of Ophthalmology, said people don't need to be "too concerned" about using other types of eye drops. "We use it for tears, we use it for antibiotics, we use it to treat glaucoma," Dr. Steinman said. "We use eyedrop bottles every day, and I think for the vast majority of eyedrop bottle users, there's no cause for concern."Dr. Steinman, an ophthalmologist at Metro Health Medical Center in Cleveland, noted that the CDC report said EzriCare's artificial tears are free of preservatives, meaning that if they are contaminated, they have nothing to prevent the growth of bacteria. He said doctors often advise patients to use artificial tears that are free of preservatives if they use them more than four times a day because preservatives can increase eye irritation. He said he only heard about preservative-free eye drops that were available in disposable vials that could not be closed and used again later.

"This for me stopped when I read the CDC. The report is that, at least for EzriCare, these products are being dispensed with in what we call multi-dose bottles, which means people are reusing the bottle," Dr. Steinman said. But the bottle doesn't contain any preservatives, which I think could pave the way for contamination or excess bacterial growth in the bottle." Dr. Steinman said that when people use any type of eye drop, they should wash their hands, close the bottle after use, and not touch its tip, as that would make the drops non-sterile. "Don't touch the bottle with your eye, face, or nose," he said.

EzriCare, a New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company, said in a statement Wednesday that it did not manufacture eye drops and that it is only involved in designing the product label and marketing it to customers. EzriCare said he was first told about the CDC. On January 20 and "action was taken immediately to stop any distribution or other sale of EzriCare synthetic tears." The company said it was also trying to contact customers to tell them to stop using eye drops.

Public health officials have warned that more must be done globally to stop the spread of drug-resistant infections, which occur when bacteria and fungi evolve to outperform antibiotics and antifungal drugs developed to destroy them. Health officials said that the more antibiotics and antifungal drugs for people and livestock, the greater the likelihood of resistance. Nearly 30,000 people died in the United States in 2020 from a drug-resistant infection, according to an analysis by the CDC, a 15 percent increase from 2019. This increase was mostly driven by the coronavirus, which in the early days of the pandemic was a mystery to medical professionals. Many have turned to antibiotics to try to cure the disease before vaccines and other treatments are available.

Every year, more than 700,000 people worldwide die from drug-resistant infections. The United Nations warned in 2019 that the infection could kill 10 million people a year by 2050 without concerted action and lead to a global economic crisis.

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