Chengalpattu (Tamil Nadu): A joint team of Tamil Nadu's Drugs Control Department and the Central Drugs Control Authority inspected the premises of Global Pharma Healthcare Private Limited here on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, following the death of a US national for using an eye drop manufactured by the said pharma company, sources said.
The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO) said that the samples of the eye drops used by the aggrieved are being examined. Meanwhile, the chemical inputs used to make the eye drops will also be sent for examination and a report based on the outcome will be submitted to the government.
Tamil Nadu-based Global Health Care Pharmaceutical company has for now voluntarily recalled its eye drop from the US after it was linked to a drug-resistant infection. Global Health Care Pharma has its headquarters in Chennai, and one of its manufacturing units is situated in the Alathur area near Tiruporur in the Chengalpattu district. The eye drops in question are said to be manufactured in the Alathur unit.
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The eye drops are sold under the name 'Artificial tears' and were distributed across the United States by two American companies. It came under the scanner after a death in the US. Incidentally, five people suffered eye damage and more than 50 people suffered various physical injuries. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, US, people who used the eye drop were found to have bacteria in their bodies, that could cause many complications, and this type of bacteria had not been seen in the United States before.
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) observed that the use of contaminated artificial tears can result in the risk of eye infections that could result in blindness. Following this, the US government advised people to avoid using eye drops from the Chennai-based pharmaceutical firm. The eye drop has been linked to more than 50 incidents of adverse events including infections, loss of vision, and even a death due to a possible infection.
