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How Much Is My Ezricare Lawsuit Claim Worth?
EzriCare Artificial Tears is at the center of a growing number of lawsuits filed by consumers whose eyes became infected after they used eye drops that may be contaminated with dangerous antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Eye infections linked to the EzriCare product have led to impaired vision, blindness and even death. Product liability suits have been filed in multiple states against EzriCare's manufacturer but none have been resolved yet through a trial or settlement.
Because the litigation is in the early stages and the injuries claimed vary, it's impossible to know what EzriCare claims may be worth. But with injuries alleged ranging from discomfort to blindness and death, plaintiffs will likely see wide-ranging award and settlement amounts.
What Are Ezricare Lawsuits About?Lawsuits are being filed over contaminated eyedrops that have allegedly caused injuries, including discomfort, infections, blindness and death. The litigation is in the early stages, but the nature of the alleged injuries indicates jury verdicts and settlement amounts could be substantial in some cases.
EzriCare Artificial Tears is an over-the-counter eye drop used to treat Dry Eye Disease (DED), a chronic condition caused by inadequate tear production due to dysfunctionality in the ocular surface. Approximately 20 million people in the United States and 344 million people around the world have DED, according to the American Academy of Ophthalmology. EzriCare Artificial Tears are manufactured by Global Pharma Healthcare PVT Limited in India and imported into the U.S. By Aru Pharma, Inc.
In January 2023, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that 55 serious bacterial infections in 12 states could be linked to EzriCare Artificial Tears. The following month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that EzriCare Artificial Tears may have been contaminated by a drug-resistant and potentially deadly bacteria called Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The agency notified consumers and healthcare practitioners that patients should stop using EzriCare Artificial Tears immediately. Global Pharma subsequently issued a voluntary recall of the product.
Why Are EzriCare Eye Drop Lawsuits Filed?After the EzriCare Artificial Tears recall in February 2023, consumers began suing Global Pharma for product liability.
Manufacturers and sellers can be held liable when a defective product harms consumers. If found liable, product manufacturers and sellers can be ordered to compensate plaintiffs for their injuries and other damages. Laws governing product liability claims vary by state. Plaintiffs who file a product liability suit must prove that:
According to the FDA, consumers' exposure to the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria may have occurred due to the manufacturer's current good manufacturing practices (CGMP) violations. These include the lack of appropriate microbial testing and tamper-evident packaging and the manufacture and distribution of the eye drops in a multi-use bottle without proper preservatives.
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EzriCare Lawsuit HistoryAs of February 2024, plaintiffs have filed product liability claims against Global Pharma in several states. Among the first suits filed is a Florida woman's claim that she developed an eye infection from the EzriCare eye drops that required surgery.
Consumers are also seeking compensation from retailers for their alleged injuries. A Kentucky man brought the first putative class action seeking a refund for the price of the eye drops. Internet retail giant Amazon has been named a defendant in various suits because it sold the product on its website. Walmart has been included as a defendant for selling the contaminated eye drops in its stores.
Because the litigation is still in its infancy, no trials have yet been scheduled, and no settlements have been reached. The cases have not yet been consolidated into multidistrict litigation (MDL) for pretrial proceedings to address a large number of similar cases more efficiently.
What Are Ezricare Claims Worth?The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified patients in numerous states who developed infections linked to EzriCare Artificial Tears. Some patients experienced infections that led to serious complications requiring hospitalization, including permanent loss of vision and the surgical removal of the patient's eyeball. Deaths linked to the eye drops have also been reported.
Ezricare Lawsuit - Free Case ReviewDid you develop bacterial eye infections during or after using EzriCare or Delsam Pharma Artificial Tears?
Plaintiffs alleging damage from EzriCare eyedrops could be compensated—via a jury award or settlement—for the following:
The amount of damages that could result from a lawsuit or settlement is difficult to predict and depends on the type and severity of the injury to the plaintiff.
Did You Develop Bacterial Eye Infections While Using EzriCare Or Delsam Pharma Artificial Tears?
You may be eligible for significant compensation. Get your free case review today.
New Recall Warning Issued For Eye Lubricants Sold At Walmart, CVS
Feb. 27, 2024 – Four eye lubricant products, including some sold at Walmart and CVS, have been added to the growing list of potentially contaminated over-the-counter eye products made in India.
The FDA posted the recall notice on its website Monday. The recalled products are tubes of eye ointments, and the recall specifically applies to:
The expiration dates of affected tubes range from March 2024 to September 2025. The products were recalled after an inspection by U.S. Regulators, which found sterility problems where the eye ointments are made.
India-based Brassica Pharma Pvt. Ltd. Reported that it had not received any reports of adverse events related to the ointments as of Feb. 16.
"For those patients who use these products, there is a potential risk of eye infections or related harm. … Ophthalmic drug products pose a potential heightened risk of harm to users because drugs applied to the eyes bypass some of the body's natural defenses," the company's recall notice posted on the FDA's recall webpage stated.
This is the latest in a string of recalls affecting more than two dozen eye products due to infection risks. Last year, officials urgently warned people to stop using EzriCare Artificial Tears, Delsam Pharma's Artificial Tears, and Delsam Pharma's Artificial Ointment, which all were made by the same manufacturer. The products were linked to bacterial infections affecting 81 people in 18 states. A number of affected people lived in long-term care facilities. The infections were linked to vision loss in 14 people and the need for surgical eyeball removal in four people.
For this latest recall, consumers who have the product can return the item where they bought it and may contact Brassica Pharma Pvt. Ltd. With any questions at 833-225-9564 or [email protected].
People who had any problems that may be related to using the eye ointments should contact their health care provider, and bad reactions should be reported to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program.
Study Shows Important Role Gut Microbes Play In Airway Health In Persons With Cystic Fibrosis
Findings from a new study conducted by a team of researchers at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine and published in the journal mBio reflect the important role that the gut microbiome (communities of bacteria) plays in the airway health of persons with cystic fibrosis.
Cystic fibrosis is an inherited disease that causes sticky, thick mucus to build up in the lungs and other organs, causing persistent infections that can be deadly. Until relatively recently, CF microbiology research has largely been focused on microorganisms in the lungs since most CF-related deaths have been due to respiratory complications.
But interest in the CF gut microbiome and its influence on the health of organs like the lungs has grown as the role of the gut microbiome in broader health outcomes has become more apparent.
For George O'Toole, Ph.D., and his colleagues at the Dartmouth Cystic Fibrosis Research Center(DartCF), the journey to better understand the gut-lung connection began more than 10 years ago, as part of a collaboration with physician-scientist Juliette Madan, MD, MS, who studies children with CF at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center (DHMC).
"One of the key observations that Dr. Madan made early on was that, surprisingly, the best predictor of how a kid's airway would function actually turned out to be the microbes in their gut rather than the microbes in their airway," explains O'Toole, the Elmer R. Pfefferkorn, Ph.D., Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Geisel and anchor author on the study. "We also had noticed that kids with CF were depleted for Bacteroides, a microbe known to be important in programming gut function and the immune system early in life."
The findings prompted them to do some experiments in which they were able to show that secreted products from these Bacteroides strains could reduce inflammation in gut-derived cell lines grown in the lab. In further experiments, they were able to narrow down the molecule that was important for that process—a short-chain fatty acid known as propionate.
To reinforce their hypothesis, the team did experiments in mice with the same CF mutation as humans which showed that those mice that had Bacteroides introduced into their guts had less inflammation in their blood and airways after being exposed to Pseudomonas aeruginosa—a common bacterium in CF infections—than other similar mice that were not given Bacteroides. Importantly, a Bacteroides variant that could not make propionate could not reduce inflammation.
"We think this establishes the idea that changes in the gut are causing a reprogramming of the immune system in such a way that the body isn't as sensitive to subsequent airway infections, so you don't have as much disease burden," says O'Toole. "The other exciting finding is that this actually provides, we think, a proof of concept that probiotics could be beneficial to kids with CF, so it could have important implications for treatments."
O'Toole is quick to credit his colleagues at Geisel and at DHMC for their contributions to the study, which in addition to Madan's clinic involved three labs in the CF Center and utilized microbiology experiments, tissue culture work, and animal studies. The Bliska, Cramer, and Ross groups at Geisel contributed to this study.
"There were a lot of moving parts to this project, so we needed a lot of help to get it all done," he says. "We're grateful, not only for the expertise that people provided but also for their willingness to participate. The culture of collaboration is core at DartCF, I think, to the success of our group and this is just a nice example of that."
More information: Courtney E. Price et al, Intestinal Bacteroides modulates inflammation, systemic cytokines, and microbial ecology via propionate in a mouse model of cystic fibrosis, mBio (2024). DOI: 10.1128/mbio.03144-23
Journal information: mBioCitation: Study shows important role gut microbes play in airway health in persons with cystic fibrosis (2024, March 13) retrieved 13 March 2024 from https://medicalxpress.Com/news/2024-03-important-role-gut-microbes-play.Html
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