From The Trussville Tribune staff reports
Eye drops and ointments sold over the counter at Walmart and Walgreens have been recalled, according to the Food and Drug Administration.
Altaire Pharmaceuticals, Inc., announced that it is voluntarily recalling the over-the-counter (OTC) drug products marketed under the name Equate sold at Wal-Mart and sold at Walgreens under the Walgreens brand.
The products being recalled are Equate Restore Tears Lubricant Eye Drops Twin Pack, Equate Eye Allergy Relief Drops, Equate Sterile Lubricant Stye Ointment, Equate Comfort Gel Lubricant Eye Gel Twin Pack, Equate Restore PM Nighttime Lubricant Eye Ointment, Equate Night & Day Restore Tears Lubricant Eye Pack, Equate Support Advanced Twin Pack, Equate Support Advanced Lubricating Eye Drops Dose Preservative Free, Equate Support Advanced Lubricant Gel Drops Multi Dose Preservative Free, Equate Support Moisture Lubricant Eye Drops and Support Harmony Lubricant Eye Drops.
Products being recalled that were sold at Walgreens include Lubricant Eye Drops Moisturizing Twin Pack Walgreens, Sodium Chloride Ophthalmic Ointment, 5% Hypertonicity Eye Ointment, Chloride Ophthalmic Solution, 5% Hypertonicity Eye Drops and Lubricant Eye Ointment PF Soothing.
The expiration dates range from August 2019 to May 2022.
As a precautionary measure, Altaire is initiating the recall due to management concerns regarding the sufficiency of Quality Assurance controls over critical systems in the manufacturing facility. This recall is being carried out to the retail level.
Administration of a non-sterile product intended to be sterile may result in serious and potentially life threatening infections or death. To date, Altaire has received no reports of adverse events, nor has Altaire obtained any out of specifications results including Sterility testing, for the products, the company said in the recall statement.