Delay of eye drop recall highlights FDA’s impotence on the issue

WASHINGTON — It took nearly three weeks for a maker of eye drops to recall its products after the Food and Drug Administration requested a recall. There have been no reports of injuries, but some key lawmakers are arguing the time it took the FDA to coax a voluntary recall shows the agency should be given the power to force them.

Eye drops must be sterile because drugs applied to eyes bypass some of the body’s natural defenses.

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FDA inspectors found unsanitary conditions at a facility in India that makes over-the-counter eye drop products that multiple U.S. retailers and distributors sell under their own brand names. Those brand names include CVS Health, Rite Aid, Target’s Up & Up.

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