WASHINGTON: After a devastating cough syrup crisis that claimed several lives in various countries last year, India-made eyedrops have now been linked to four deaths, 18 cases of blindness, and infections in hundreds of people in the United States.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the US inspected Global Pharma’s plant in Chennai, India, and found that the manufacturer had violated several safety norms, as reported by media sources. Following this observation, the FDA recommended the recall of the eyedrops in February, and imports of the products were halted.
Traces of the medicine were detected in the blood, urine, and lungs of affected patients, leading to bacterial infections and severe health consequences. The eye drops, manufactured in India by Global Pharma and imported to the US under the brand names EzriCare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Tears, were linked to a deadly outbreak of drug-resistant infections in the country.
In March, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified 68 patients in 16 states with a rare strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacteria known for causing serious infections, especially in immunocompromised individuals. The drug-resistant strain had not been previously detected in the US before this outbreak.
India’s Pharmaceutical Industry Under Scrutiny for Health Crises
India’s pharmaceutical industry has been under scrutiny for its role in various health crises. In December 2022, 18 children in Uzbekistan lost their lives after allegedly consuming the cough syrup ‘Doc-1 Max’, manufactured by an Indian firm. Similarly, in October of the same year, Indonesia banned the import of all medicines from India following the death of 99 children caused by the syrup, which also resulted in another 69 children’s deaths in The Gambia. Liberia and Nigeria also seized over 250 containers of the deadly syrup in June this year.
Despite enjoying special concessions from the United States, India’s pharmaceutical industry has come under question for its reliability as a trade partner. The recent deaths and infections caused by India-made products raise further concerns about the industry’s practices and the safety of its medicines.
The CDC expressed concern that the bacteria detected in the eyedrops could potentially gain a foothold in the US healthcare system, leading to long-term health implications. The World Health Organization also issued an alert last October linking four Indian-made cough syrups to child deaths in The Gambia.
