The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that, as of May 15, 2023, a total of four deaths have been reported with an increase in the number of infection cases and states that are linked to the outbreak of an extensively drug-resistant bacteria associated with contaminated eye drops.
Give me a quick recap.
The CDC advised in January 2023 an immediate discontinuation of artificial tear eye drops due to an
outbreak of an antibiotic-resistant form of Pseudomonas aeruginosa that was connected to the use of 10 different brands of over-the-counter (OTC) artificial tears, including EzriCare Artificial Tears.
A voluntary recall for EzriCare was then escalated to a Health Alert Network (HAN) Advisory in February 2023 that mandated all eye care practitioners (ECPs) and patients immediately stop use of the eye drops. Also of note, a recall was issued for Delsam Pharma’s artificial tears, as well as its artificial ointment.
In March 2023, the CDC confirmed a total of three deaths, 68 cases across 16 states, and eight reports of vision loss and four reports of enucleation.
What’s the latest update?
The CDC is reporting one more death (bringing the total to four) and 81 patient cases (13 more than previous reports) across two additional states (for a total of 18).
Further, a total of 14 cases of vision loss have been reported.
Why are we just hearing about these new cases now?
Among the 13 cases, a reported 46% (six patients) had their specimens collected and tested prior to the February 2023 manufacture recall of the outbreak-associated products and confirmed after the recall date.
In other words, those aren’t new outbreaks—just updated numbers.
And the other seven cases?
According to the CDC’s report, those patients had their specimens collected following the recall and lived in either long-term care facilities with other known cases or were from reported use of a recalled brand of artificial tears.
What symptoms have patients reported?
The CDC indicated that additional eye infection symptoms may include:
- Yellow, green, or clear discharge from the eye
- Eye pain or discomfort
- Redness of the eye or eyelid
- Foreign body sensation within the eye
- Increased light sensitivity
- Blurry vision
Anything else to know?
Back in March 2023, the CDC also announced that researchers from University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and at the Yale Center for Phage Biology and Therapy identified a bacteriophage that may potentially treat Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is known to be extensively drug-resistant.
Previous research from the UCSD’s Center for Innovative Phage Applications and Therapeutics (IPATH) includes the development of “phage” therapies to treat patients with infections caused by drug-resistant bacteria.
According to the CDC, no infected patients have been treated with this therapy as of the time of this report.
Anything else to know?
Also of interest, the CDC released their preliminary inspection report on the India-based factory of Global Pharma Healthcare Ltd., the manufacturer of EzriCare and Delsam Pharma’ recalled eye products.
You can read what they found here.