Our lawyers are reviewing Delsam Pharma eye drops lawsuits in all 50 states after the eye drops have been linked to an outbreak of bacterial infections.
At least one person has died from the infection, and other victims have suffered blindness, vision impairment and other serious health conditions. Now the Delsam Artificial Tears eye drops have been recalled nationwide. These eye drops lawsuits could bring large settlement payouts because the injuries for many will be very significant.
Delsam Pharma Eye Drops
Delsam Pharma’s Artificial Tears Lubricant Eye Drops is product used to treat dry eyes, which is sold over-the-counter at major retailers including Walmart and Amazon (both of which could have potential liability as sellers).
Like most eye drop products, Delsam drops use an ingredient called carboxy methylcellulose. This is a compound that helps to relieve dry eye symptoms by wetting the eyes. It effectively mimics real human tears and is found in many OTC eye drops for the same purpose.
Recall of Delsam Eye Drops
In January 2023, the CDC publicly announced that it had been investigating a cluster of bacteria-resistant infections across the country and that they appeared to be related to EzriCare brand eye drops. Testing confirmed that over 50 cases of infection were caused by a bacterium called Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Cases were reported in 11 different states across the country.
The infections involved in these cases were very serious. Many resulted in permanent eye damage and vision loss and at least 1 case ended in death after the infection turned into sepsis. Others victims had urinary tract and respiratory infections.
Both EzriCare and Delsam Pharma brand eye drops are manufactured by Global Pharma Healthcare, which is based in India. Global Pharma was contacted by the FDA and CDC in January about evidence of a possible contamination in both eye drop brands. On February 6, 2023, at the request of the FDA, Global Pharma initiated a nationwide recall of both EzriCare and Delsam Pharma brand eye drops.
The Global Pharma recall notice strongly warned consumers that using the recalled eye drops could lead to infections and “blindness.” Anyone with Delsam eye drops was instructed not to use them and the product was pulled from retail shelves across the country.
Eye Drops Contaminated With Dangerous Bacterium
The Delsam eye drops are contaminated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa. This is a particularly dangerous bacterium that can be found in soil, water, and in many other wet environments. It thrives in water which is why eye drops were a perfect substrate material. It can also survive with little oxygen, enabling it to colonize many natural and artificial environments.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is especially dangerous because it is a Gram-negative bacterium. Gram negative bacteria have exceptional resistance to most first generation antibiotics. This makes is very difficult to treat and it is responsible for thousands of serious infections in hospitals every year. Individuals with weakened immune systems are particular at risk.
Delsam Eye Drops Lawsuit
In the U.S. retailers and manufacturers can be held strictly liable for things such as manufacturing defects and product contamination. The evidence that the Delsam eye drops were contaminated with dangerous bacteria is very compelling as evidenced by the fact that Global Pharma agreed to initiate a national recall. Global Pharma and retailers who sold the contaminated eye drops (which includes Walmart) will be liable for injuries caused by the contaminated drops.
Anyone who purchased and used Delsam brand artificial tears eye drops and subsequently developed a bacteria infection is eligible to bring a product liability lawsuit. Victims of the contaminated eye drops who bring a successful tort lawsuit will be entitled to significant financial compensation.
The amount of compensation individual plaintiffs can get will depend on the severity of the physical injuries that resulted from their use of the contaminated eye drops. Individual plaintiffs will need to be able to prove that the purchased and/or used Delsam artificial tears eye drops. They will also need medical records proving that they developed an infection from the specific type of bacteria linked to the eye drops (Pseudomonas aeruginosa).
The first contaminated eye drops personal injury lawsuits are already being filed. There will probably not be enough of these cases to warrant consolidation into a class action MDL.
Contact Us About Contaminated Eye Drops Lawsuits
If you have suffered an injury from Delsam eye drops, the great likelihood is that an investigation will show the harm was caused by negligence. You can reach us at 800-883-8082 or get a free online consultation. You pay nothing unless you get a recovery.