Press Releases
HSA Alerts Public to Counterfeit “Eye Mo Regular” (7.5ml) and “Eye Mo Moist” Eye Drops (7.5ml) Sold Locally
1 March 2016
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Healthcare professional
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The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) is alerting members of the public about counterfeit eye drops sold in two shops in Singapore as they pose public health and safety concerns. These counterfeit eye drops were fraudulently labelled as “EYE MO Regular” (7.5 ml) and “EYE MO Moist” (7.5 ml) from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK). HSA found these eye drops to be of poor quality with bacterial contamination. This is the first case of counterfeit eye drops being sold by shops in Singapore. Further investigations are underway.
2 HSA was first alerted to the possible counterfeit “EYE MO Regular” (7.5 ml) and “EYE MO Moist” (7.5 ml) sold at a provision shop in late 2015. These products were immediately seized by HSA and GSK confirmed these products were counterfeits. HSA has since conducted island-wide surveillance and seized similar counterfeit eye drops from another shop. While the quantities seized were limited, HSA would like to alert consumers who may have bought these products of the safety concerns and to discard these products immediately.
3 Based on HSA’s investigations, the counterfeit Eye Mo products were:
Found in pack size of 7.5 ml only while the genuine Eye Mo products are available in pack sizes of 7.5 ml, 9 ml, 15 ml and 18 ml.
Printed with the following batch numbers and manufacturing date combinations on their bottles and cartons. These combinations have never been used by GSK. :
Sold at:
Dangers of Using Counterfeit Eye Drops
4 Counterfeit eye drops can cause serious harm to users as they are administered directly on the eyes. In this case, the eye drops were contaminated with bacteria, which can cause eye infections and potentially lead to serious complications such as corneal ulcers (open sores in the outer layer of the eye) and blindness. In addition, the use of counterfeit eye drops carries a higher risk of infection if the consumer has had recent ocular surgery or has pre-existing diseases, such as diabetes mellitus.
Consumer Advisory
5 Consumers are advised to immediately:
Check if the “EYE MO Regular” (7.5 ml) or “EYE MO Moist” eye drops (7.5 ml) which they have in their possession is a counterfeit product by looking at the batch numbers and manufacturing date combinations on the bottles and cartons found in Annex A.
Reach out to the consumer hub in GSK via email atsg.customer-relations@gsk.com or dial 1-800 622 7238 if consumers suspect that they may have purchased counterfeit Eye Mo products in any of the retail outlets.
Stop using and discard the eye drops if they suspect that the “EYE MO Regular” (7.5 ml) or “EYE MO Moist” eye drops (7.5 ml) is a counterfeit.
Consult a doctor immediately if they experience any adverse reactions such as severe eye irritation, redness, blurred vision, pain, light sensitivity, unusual discomfort after using “EYE MO Regular” (7.5 ml) and “EYE MO Moist” eye drops (7.5 ml).
6 Consumers should also be wary when purchasing health products from door-to-door salespersons or dubious online sites, as it cannot be ascertained where and how these products were manufactured. These products may be counterfeit or substandard and contain undeclared ingredients which can harm your health.
7 Members of the public who are aware of counterfeit health products being sold by retailers or online are encouraged to contact HSA’s Enforcement Branch at Tel: 6866 3485 or Email: hsa_is@hsa.gov.sg.
8 Any person found to be selling or distributing counterfeit health products are liable to a penalty of $100,000 and/or a jail term of up to 3 years if convicted.
HEALTH SCIENCES AUTHORITY
SINGAPORE
1 MARCH 2016