FDA advises not to purchase certain eye drops due to infection risk
Send a link to a friend
[October 28, 2023]
(Reuters) -The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday warned
consumers to not purchase or use certain eye drops from several brands,
including CVS Health Corp and Cardinal Health, as they may cause eye
infection and in some cases possible vision loss.
The agency recommended against the usage of 26 over-the-counter eye drop
products mainly used to treat symptoms of dry eyes and provide relief
against eye irritation.
The eye drops are marketed by CVS Health, Rite Aid, Cardinal Health,
along with Target's up & up brand and Velocity Pharma, the FDA said in a
statement. It has also asked the manufacturer to recall all lots of the
product after its investigators found insanitary conditions in the
manufacturing facility.
FDA said using certain eye care products from the brands it flagged
could result in partial vision loss or blindness. However, as of now, it
has not received any "adverse event reports" of eye infection associated
with these products, the agency said.
CVS, Rite Aid and Target are removing the products from their store
shelves and websites, according to the FDA. It also said that products
branded as Leader, Rugby and Velocity may still be available to purchase
in stores and online and advised against purchasing them.
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2017/Jul/22/images/ads/current/rohlfs_lda_072017.png)
[to top of second column]
|
![](../images/102823PIX/health18.jpg)
Signage is seen outside of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
headquarters in White Oak, Maryland, U.S., August 29, 2020.
REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2023/Oct/28/images/ads/current/graue_lda_FFARM_2023.png) "Upon receiving notification by the
FDA, we've (CVS) immediately stopped the sale in-store and online of
all products supplied by Velocity Pharma," the drugstore chain said
in an emailed statement to Reuters, adding that it will provide a
full refund to customers returning the product.
Cardinal Health and Velocity Pharma did not immediately respond to a
request for comment.
FDA recommended consumers to properly discard these products, and
advised patients who have signs or symptoms of an eye infection
after using these products to talk to their health care provider or
seek medical care immediately.
FDA earlier this month warned eight companies, including CVS and
Walgreens Boots Alliance, against manufacturing or marketing
unapproved eye products.
(Reporting by Mrinmay Dey in Bengaluru and Surbhi Misra; Editing by
Leslie Adler and Shri Navaratnam)
[© 2023 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content. |