Made-in-India eye-drop linked to infection in Sri Lanka
An eye-drops manufactured by a Gujarat-based company is being investigated by CDSCO for being the alleged cause of infections in Sri Lanka. This follows the recalling of eye-drops from the US market by a Chennai-based company in April.
In the second such incident in recent months, eye-drops manufactured by an Indian company have been alleged to be contaminated after they caused infections among patients in another country.
The Sri Lankan Ministry of Health has alleged that methylprednisolone eye-drops manufactured by Gujarat-based Indiana Ophthalmics resulted in reduced vision in 14 out of 34 patients after cataract surgery in National Eye Hospital and Novaradina Hospital, both in Colombo, in April.
The eye-drops were recalled by the ministry and now India’s Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) has launched an investigation.
In April, Chennai-based Global Pharma Healthcare recalled 50,000 tubes of its EzriCare eye-drops (containing carboxymethylcellulose sodium as the main ingredient) from the US market following reports of contamination by a drug-resistant bacteria strain by the country’s national public health agency, US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA).
This is only the latest in contaminations being found in medicines exported by Indian companies. Last year, the authorities in The Gambia had linked the deaths of 70 children to cough syrups manufactured by Maiden Pharmaceuticals and the authorities in Uzbekistan had linked the deaths of 18 children to a cough syrup manufactured by Marion Biotech Limited.
