Deadly Drug-Resistant Bacteria Outbreak In PA Linked To Eyedrops: CDC

PENNSYLVANIA — An outbreak of a rare strain of drug-resistant bacteria linked to over-the-counter eye drops led to a recall and prompted the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to issue a health advisory for several states, including Pennsylvania.

According to the updated CDC alert, 68 patients in 16 states, including Pennsylvania, were infected after using 10 different brands of artificial tears. Three people died, four have had an eyeball surgically removed, and eight patients have suffered vision loss.

Officials said infections were detected between May 2022 and January 2023. They were all caused by a bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which was found in patients' eyes, blood, urine and lungs.

Health officials said the majority of patients reported using EzriCare Artificial Tears, a preservative-free, over-the-counter product packaged in multidose bottles. The CDC advises patients to stop using artificial tears made by EzriCare or Delsam Pharma.

The CDC did not provide the specific names for the other eight artificial tears brands believed to be linked to the outbreak.

Eye infection symptoms may include pain or discomfort in the eye, blurry vision, discharge from the eye (yellow, green, or clear), redness of the eye or eyelid, feeling of something in the eye, or increased sensitivity to light.

Lab tests conducted by the CDC identified the outbreak strain in opened bottles of EzriCare, and it was the only common product identified across four clusters of infections in healthcare facilities.

Officials at EzriCare said they were made aware of the investigation into the outbreaks on Jan. 20 and were not aware of any testing that definitively links the outbreak to their product. In a Feb. 1 statement from the company, EzriCare said they stopped distribution and sales of the product.

"To the greatest extent possible, we have been contacting customers to advise them against continued use of the product," EzriCare officials said in the statement. "We also immediately reached out to both CDC and FDA and indicated our willingness to cooperate with any requests they may have of us."

The EzriCare Artificial Tears product is manufactured in India by Global Pharma Healthcare PVT Limited and imported to the United States, the company said. Global Pharma Healthcare officially issued a recall of the product on Monday.

The U.S Food and Drug Administration has also recalled two more eyedrop brands for issues "that could result in blindness." The FDA posted separate recall notices for some eyedrops distributed by Pharmedica and Apotex after the companies voluntarily removed several lots of their products from shelves.

Apotex also recalled six lots of prescription eyedrops distributed as Brimonidine Tartrate Ophthalmic Solution. 0.15% used to treat glaucoma after finding cracks in bottle caps on the product.

Patch's Shannon Antorini and Megan VerHelst contributed to this report.