Bausch & Lomb has paid $250M so far to settle ReNu lawsuits

Sunday, 31 May 2009

Bausch & Lomb, the manufacturer of ReNu with MoistureLoc, has settled nearly 600 lawsuits filed by former users since the contact lens solution was recalled in 2006. A report by the Associated Press states that the company has spent $250 million to settle ReNu lawsuits so far. Experts estimate that the company could end up spending as much as $500 million in settlements and other expenses stemming from the ReNu recall. More than 700 former ReNu users have alleged that they developed a serious fungal eye infections, including Fusarium keratitis, after using ReNu with MoistureLoc. These patients include 60 individuals who required a cornea transplant and seven who had to have an eye removed as a result of a Fusarium keratitis infection. After ReNu with MoistureLoc was recalled in April 2006, an investigation by eye doctors and government scientists concluded that it was the only contact lens solution behind the Fusarium outbreak. This, combined with a separate outbreak of parasitic eye infections linked to AMO Complete Moisture Plus, has led the government to call for tougher testing standards for contact lens solutions. In addition to the 600 ReNu lawsuits it has settled so far, Bausch & Lomb is facing more than 500 additional lawsuits filed by patients who allege that they developed bacterial, viral or parasitic eye infections after using ReNu with MoistureLoc.