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'ReNu is safe, will not be withdrawn from market'

“Fungal infections cannot be treated with antibiotics,” they also said.

Speaking to Khaleej Times yesterday, Ahmed Jaber from Al Jaber Trading who are the sole distributors of the solution in the UAE said, “There has been an unnecessary scare regarding the soultion which has been present in the UAE market for ages.”

“Since cases of fungal keratitis were reported in the US recently, we have been in touch with the manufacturers in the US. It has also been cleared that the solution that was being sold in the US was being manufactured in the US while the solution for the Middle East region is manufactured by Bausch & Lomb in Milan, Italy. The announcement in the US does not affect Bausch & Lomb’s products in our region. Furthermore, no unusual trends of fungal keratitis have been reported within Europe, the Middle East and Africa,” he explained.

Citing statements issued by Bausch and Lomb to eyecare professionals, the UAE representative from Al Jaber said: “The suspension of the solution (in US) is in order to facilitate the further investigation of reports of fungal keratitis infections among contact lens wearers in the US. ReNu multi-purpose soultions manufactured at the US facility are not distributed within Europe, Middle East, and Africa.”

The statement further said: “No scientific data exists to suggest a casual relationship between any Bausch & Lomb products and incidences reported. Bausch and Lomb has been working closely with US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to investigate the cases. The company has decided to voluntarily suspend sales of the product in the US as a precautionary measure. There are no plans to suspend sales of ReNu solutions in Europe, Middle East and Africa region.” Jaber also said,

“If there is something to worry about, we will be the first ones to take necessary action regarding any matter.”

No circular from the ministry of health

SEVERAL pharmacists said that because they had not received any circular from the Ministry of Health, therefore, they would not remove the product from the shelves.

“Unless and until the MOH issues a circular, we will not remove the product from the shelves. Until now, we have never received a complaint from any customer, and this is a very popular product,” said a representative of Al Kindi Pharmacy in Sharjah. Dr Nitil Kanade, Opthalmologist from Doctor’s Medical Centre in Sharjah said: “Till now, there are no readymade eye preparations in the market that can treat fungal infections. But people are using drops that are made using injections.” He said that such cases occur only when proper care is not taken in the use of contact lenses after which infections set in.

An official from the Ministry of Health said that the ministry was not responsible for ordering the withdrawal of the product from pharmacies, because the issue should be handled by the Dubai Municipality. “This is an over-the-counter product and is also available in convenience stores. Therefore, the control of this product falls under the Dubai Municipality.

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