Are your eye drops putting you at risk for infections?
Major Brand Product Recalls for Over-the-Counter Eye Drops Issued by FDA
The FDA has issued another major product recall after discovering unsanitary practices at major eye drop manufacturing plants.
According to the report, the FDA found unsanitary conditions at manufacturing plants, as well as positive bacterial tests from these products. This poses a heightened risk to consumers because eye drops bypass some of the body’s natural defense systems. They have not received any reports of adverse effects from consumers and urge anyone experiencing symptoms to report it in the FDA MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting System.
See a full list of affected products from the FDA website here.
Did You Know?
Roughly 4,500 drug recalls are approved by the FDA every year.
Recalls Spike in 2022 — Are Our Products Safe?
Advances in technology happen constantly, and new products and drugs are introduced in the United States every day as a result. But so many of these drugs and products are pulled from the shelves for safety concerns afterward! While the number of FDA recalls increased marginally (2.2% between 2021 and 2022), the total number of units recalled increased by over 700% in that same time period¹.
Why are drug and food product recalls increasing in the United States in recent years? Let’s take a look.
Why So Many Food Recalls?
So many food recalls have been filing the news recently — you’re not imagining it. Does that mean new food products are not as safe as they used to be?
Not necessarily, no. You see, technological advances improve investigative tools that find contaminates and unsanitary conditions as well as new products. There has also been an increase in third-party testing companies in recent years. So, it’s not that products are less safe now. It’s more likely that our ability to catch contaminants is getting better.
This seems to be supported by the fact that nine of the recalls in 2022 were prompted by foreign contaminants of more than 477,000 pounds of food².
Why So Many Over-the-Counter Drug Recalls?
Over-the-counter drugs are less regulated, though they still have oversight from the FDA. Common reasons for drug recalls include:
- Safe Drugs Become Contaminated — Manufacturing processes can introduce contaminates to otherwise safe drugs.
- Rare Side Effects Can be Missed — Super rare problems may not be detected until 10,000 or more people have taken the drug.
- Trial Subjects Tend to be Healthier — The general population is typically less healthy than test trial subjects. Older patients taking multiple other drugs may be affected when healthier, younger patients would not be.
Fortunately, fewer than 1 in 10 drug recalls pose serious health risks. Between 80% and 90% of drug recalls are Class II, meaning that they pose a slight or temporary risk of serious harm³.
Hurt by a Defective Drug/Product?
Though it is rare, consumers are seriously hurt by defective drugs and food products in San Antonio. Don’t suffer through it alone. If you’ve been hurt by a defective product, the law demands compensation. Find out if you have a case by contacting our defective product attorneys at Carabin Shaw at 800-862-1260.
Hire Carabin Shaw Defective Product Attorneys
Our attorneys have defended the rights of people in San Antonio who have been seriously hurt by defective drugs and food products for 30 years. We put our clients first because we care. Contact our team to get your case evaluated for free at 800-862-1260 today. We look forward to serving you.
Contacting a Carabin Shaw attorney is free and does not obligate you to work with the firm.
²Foriegn Contaminates in Food Recalls