Bloomberg: “Tainted Walmart, CVS Eyedrops Tied to Unsanitary Indian Factory”

Bloomberg Businessweek - 11/9/23

Eyedrops… were made in an unsanitary factory in India where workers went barefoot and made up test results so the products appeared to be safe, according to a US government report.

- Bloomberg

Anna Edney and Peter Robison of Bloomberg connected the dots amongst the FDA’s recent warnings about 28 more over-the-counter eye drops sold under major drugstore brands. They were able to identify the company that manufactured all of the eye drops, which the FDA has blocked from sending any more eye drops to the US.

Bloomberg reviewed the report prepared by inspectors. Their findings were very disturbing.

Bloomberg also reached out to Dry Eye Foundation for this article:

The recalls this year have left consumers “confused and scared,” said Rebecca Petris, president of the Dry Eye Foundation, a nonprofit outside Seattle that publishes safety recommendations on eyedrops. The group says the FDA this year has publicly warned consumers about 78 over-the-counter drops, and only 13 have been recalled.

While Petris applauded the FDA for taking steps more recently to get information to the public quickly, she said it’s concerning that the manufacturer wasn’t identified and hasn’t recalled its products. “Honestly, I think it’s scarier for the public to keep hearing from the press that seven different companies – including household names like Walmart and Rite Aid – are ‘making’ bad eyedrops,’” Petris said in an email, when in fact “there’s a single manufacturer behind it all.”