The United State's top regulator has alleged that the Indian manufacturer of eye drops connected to three deaths and serious infections in the country&nbsp;violated a number of safety standards.&nbsp;

After visiting the Global Pharma plant in Chennai, India, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a report last week. as reported by the BBC.&nbsp;After an FDA suggestion, the company recalled the drops in February.&nbsp;

The products' imports have also been stopped by the FDA.&nbsp;

The eye drops, manufactured in India by Global Pharma and imported into the US under the brand names EzriCare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharma's Artificial Tears, were linked to a deadly outbreak of infections that were resistant to treatment.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discovered 68 patients in 16 states in March who had a rare strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can lead to life-threatening infections, particularly in those with weakened immune systems. Prior to the most recent outbreak, the drug-resistant strain has never been discovered in the nation.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/us-raises-alarm-over-spread-of-drug-resistant-bacteria-linked-to-indian-made-eyedrops-578796">Tamil Nadu drug regulator says 'no contamination found' in Indian eyedrops after US raises alarm</a>

According to a March report from the BBC, eight people lost their vision, and four had their eyes surgically removed.

"To the greatest extent possible, we have been contacting customers to advise them against continued use of the product," EzriCare Artificial Tears&nbsp;said on its website&nbsp;in February.

The company claimed that while it promoted the eye drops, it played no part in the "actual manufacturing" of the products.&nbsp;

The Delsam Pharma eye ointment was later added to the product recall, which was originally restricted to the eye drops EzriCare Artificial Tears Lubricant and Delsam Pharma Artificial Tears Lubricant.&nbsp;

The Global Pharma plant in India was inspected by the FDA for 11 days starting on February 20. The FDA noted multiple sterilisation and hygiene violations in its report.&nbsp;

The FDA report also noted&nbsp;that surfaces that came into contact with the drug packaging "were not cleaned, sanitised, decontaminated, or sterilised".

Many Indian companies have recently come under fire for the quality of their pharmaceutical products, with experts voicing worries about the manufacturing procedures used to create these medicines.

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The United State's top regulator has alleged that the Indian manufacturer of eye drops connected to three deaths and serious infections in the country violated a number of safety standards.

The United State's top regulator has alleged that the Indian manufacturer of eye drops connected to three deaths and serious infections in the country violated a number of safety standards. After visiting the Global Pharma plant in Chennai, India, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a report last week. as reported by the BBC. After an FDA suggestion, the company recalled the drops in February. The products' imports have also been stopped by the FDA. The eye drops, manufactured in India by Global Pharma and imported into the US under the brand names EzriCare Artificial Tears and Delsam Pharma's Artificial Tears, were linked to a deadly outbreak of infections that were resistant to treatment. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discovered 68 patients in 16 states in March who had a rare strain of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which can lead to life-threatening infections, particularly in those with weakened immune systems. Prior to the most recent outbreak, the drug-resistant strain has never been discovered in the nation. ALSO READ | Tamil Nadu drug regulator says 'no contamination found' in Indian eyedrops after US raises alarm According to a March report from the BBC, eight people lost their vision, and four had their eyes surgically removed. "To the greatest extent possible, we have been contacting customers to advise them against continued use of the product," EzriCare Artificial Tears said on its website in February. The company claimed that while it promoted the eye drops, it played no part in the "actual manufacturing" of the products. The Delsam Pharma eye ointment was later added to the product recall, which was originally restricted to the eye drops EzriCare Artificial Tears Lubricant and Delsam Pharma Artificial Tears Lubricant. The Global Pharma plant in India was inspected by the FDA for 11 days starting on February 20. The FDA noted multiple sterilisation and hygiene violations in its report. The FDA report also noted that surfaces that came into contact with the drug packaging "were not cleaned, sanitised, decontaminated, or sterilised". Many Indian companies have recently come under fire for the quality of their pharmaceutical products, with experts voicing worries about the manufacturing procedures used to create these medicines. WATCH WION LIVE HERE:

Global Pharma:  FDA claims Indian company linked to eye drop deaths violated US safety standards

A needle has been found in a strawberry in New Zealand, police said Monday, the second incident to hit the country two months after a <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/after-strawberry-australia-police-find-needle-in-apple-and-banana-166469">contamination crisis erupted in Australia</a>.

The needle was found in a punnet sold in the small South Island town of Geraldine over the weekend, a New Zealand police spokesman said.&nbsp;

The supermarket owner Garry Sheed said he had since taken all strawberries off the shelves but would not comment on whether the punnet was from Australia or New Zealand.&nbsp;

This is the second such incident in New Zealand since the scare was sparked in September, when more than 200 reported incidents of needles hidden in strawberries were reported in Australia.&nbsp;

Some of those cases were found to be hoaxes or false complaints.

A 50-year-old woman who worked at one of the strawberry farms where the tampered produce was grown has since been <a href="http://www.wionews.com/world/woman-charged-over-australia-strawberry-needle-scare-176667">arrested in Queensland and charged with contaminating goods</a>.

The New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said the person who found the needle in Geraldine was not harmed.

"The matter has been referred to the police who are leading the criminal investigation," a ministry spokesman told reporters.&nbsp;

"At this stage, MPI does not have any reason to believe this is more widespread than the single discovery. However, as a precautionary measure the store has removed strawberries from shelves."

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A needle has been found in a strawberry in New Zealand, police said Monday, the second incident to hit the country two months after a contamination crisis erupted in Australia.

A needle has been found in a strawberry in New Zealand, police said Monday, the second incident to hit the country two months after a contamination crisis erupted in Australia. The needle was found in a punnet sold in the small South Island town of Geraldine over the weekend, a New Zealand police spokesman said. The supermarket owner Garry Sheed said he had since taken all strawberries off the shelves but would not comment on whether the punnet was from Australia or New Zealand. This is the second such incident in New Zealand since the scare was sparked in September, when more than 200 reported incidents of needles hidden in strawberries were reported in Australia. Some of those cases were found to be hoaxes or false complaints. A 50-year-old woman who worked at one of the strawberry farms where the tampered produce was grown has since been arrested in Queensland and charged with contaminating goods. The New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) said the person who found the needle in Geraldine was not harmed. "The matter has been referred to the police who are leading the criminal investigation," a ministry spokesman told reporters. "At this stage, MPI does not have any reason to believe this is more widespread than the single discovery. However, as a precautionary measure the store has removed strawberries from shelves." ×

Second needle incident in strawberries in New Zealand

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