The FDA Is warning consumers not to purchase copycat eye drops from online retailers due to the potential risk of infection.
The warning applies to three products that consumers may easily mistaken for Bausch + Lomb's Lumify brand eye drops: South Moon, Rebright and FivFivGo. The copycat products are unapproved drugs that claim to treat conditions like glaucoma "and should not be available for sale in the U.S.," the FDA said Jan. 31. Glaucoma is only treated with prescription drugs or surgery.
The agency said it tested samples of South Moon eye drops that were purchased online and found they were contaminated with Burkholderia cepacia complex, a group of bacteria that may cause a drug-resistant infection. The bacteria wasn't found in Rebright samples, though the FDA still recommends consumers avoid using the product. The agency's testing also found neither product contained brimonidine tartrate, the active ingredient in Lumify.
The agency was not able to obtain FivFivGo samples and said it is investigating the origin of the three products.
While no adverse event reports have specifically named the copycat products, the FDA said it has received reports that mention "possible fake Lumify, including product quality concerns, eye irritation, pain and infection."
The FDA has heightened warnings related to eye products after a drug-resistant outbreak last year affected dozens of people, four of whom died from the infections. The outbreak was tied to several different eye drops, though the most commonly reported exposure was EzriCare Artificial Tears.