What is Ala Octa: the drug that caused irreversible blindness in more than 100 people

by time news

2024-02-01 23:50:59

He Octa Wing is a medication that affected more than a hundred patients who underwent retinal surgeriescausing irreversible damage because several batches of this product were cytotoxic, with 99 percent cell death.

What is the Octa Wing?

He Octa Wing It is an eye drop, that is, an ophthalmic preparation that is used as a lubricant or artificial tears, which was made from perfluoroctane (C8F18) and manufactured by the German pharmaceutical company ALAMEDICS GmbH.

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What is the Octa Wing used for?

He Octa Wing It is used as an adjuvant function in retinal detachment surgeries. Doctors use it to manipulate the eye socket by pushing on the detached retina and repositioning it.

However, in 2015, several batches with defects in the formulation caused blindness in more than 125 patients undergoing retinal surgical interventions.

After 125 cases were reported in 28 health centers, the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) warned through a statement about him drug defect and requested the immediate cessation of its use, as well as its withdrawal from the market.

Although a few years have passed, the legal battle continues, and today the Prosecutor’s Office of the National Court in Spain filed a complaint against the German companies Alamedics GmbH & Co.KG y BSI Group Deutschlandand the Spanish distributor W.M. Bloss SA for the manufacture, evaluation and marketing of the defective medical device.

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The lives of these people took a drastic turn after being subjected to surgical procedures They needed to improve their vision. For this reason, the AEMPS carried out an exhaustive investigation in which it was identified that certain batches, mainly those manufactured in 2014, were potentially cytotoxic.

Why did the Eighth Wing cause blindness?

Chemical, physical and toxicological analysis revealed a high risk of irreversible damage to the optic nervea crucial part of the visual system that transmits signals from the retina to the brain.

The consequences of damage to the optic nerve can range from partial or total loss of vision in the affected eye to alterations in the visual field and changes in visual perception.

Photo: iStock
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Without a doubt, this situation demonstrates the importance of safety in the manufacturing and distribution of medical products, and highlights the need for rigorous supervision by health authorities to avoid tragedies like the one that affected so many patients in Spain.

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