YIKES

Report: 68 People Are Nearly Blind From a Knockoff Cataract Drug Injection

The injectable is meant to help reduce usage of eye drops after cataract surgery.

Sixty-eight people in the Dallas area are reportedly experiencing vision problems after using a knockoff, unregulated version of the drug TriMoxi, an injectable drug used during cataract surgery that helps prevent patients from having to use post-operation eye drops. Of the patients, two have filed lawsuits, with more set to join them, according to a report from BuzzFeed. Thus far, the case involves clinics; the Professional Compounding Centers of America, which came up with the drug’s formulation; and Guardian Pharmacy Services, which mixed and distributed the drug. The case highlights the unregulated sector of compounding pharmacies, which create drugs in alternate forms for customers (liquids for those who can’t swallow pills, for example). Samples show that the knockoff injections contained four times the amount of a chemical compound called polyaxmer used in TriMoxi; in one case, that was enough to irreversibly damage a patient’s retina. One of the patients suing remembered a commercial for the clinic’s tagline: “Come see us—we’ll change your life.” “I’ve never seen a truer commercial in my life,” he told BuzzFeed.