News

In the same week that Bausch & Lomb decided to permanently withdraw its ReNu with MoistureLoc contact lens solution from shelves worldwide, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed on Friday (May 19) that the product was the cause of an increased incidence of Fusarium keratitis.

An epidemiological ‘case-control’ investigation showed an increased risk of the fungal infection for users of ReNu with MositureLoc. The cause of the association remains unclear. However, further studies, including environmental and molecular testing are ongoing.

The study also concluded that Bausch & Lomb’s other contact lens solution ReNu MultiPlus, sporadically linked to the Fusarium outbreak in the US, was not associated in a statistically significant way.

Reporting in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the authors advised that eye care professional should continue to be vigilant in the diagnosis and treatment of Fusarium keratitis.

Bausch & Lomb chief executive Ronald Zarrella said: ‘The CDC’s conclusion that the MoistureLoc formulation was the only product with a statistically significant association with reports of Fusarium keratitis in the cases they have evaluated should put to rest any further speculation that other products may also be implicated.’

Of the 130 confirmed cases in the US, 118 were able to identify the solution they used. Nearly two-thirds of them reported using ReNu with MoistureLoc.

A handful of cases have been reported in Europe, although B&L has still not disclosed precisely where.

A consumer web site has been launched explaining how to exchange their MoistureLoc product for MultiPlus. Practitioners should contact Bausch & Lomb if they have not been contacted already.

Read the CDC update of Fusarium keratitis here.

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