Manufacturer Raided by US Marshals Service After FDA Finds Contaminated Ultrasound Gel
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety communication on 19 April warning consumers about the risks associated with Other-Sonic Generic Ultrasound Transmission Gel after it found bacteria in the gel.
The safety communication came after the US Marshals Service raided the offices of the manufacturer, New Jersey-based Pharmaceutical Innovations, after the firm's product was connected with adverse events in 16 patients across the country.
CNN reports the gel is "used by medical professionals in ultrasounds, a procedure involving high-frequency sound waves to look at patients' organs."
FDA Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs Dara Corrigan said in a statement the gel represented "serious health risks to patients, particularly vulnerable ones."
"FDA, with the assistance of our state partner, is taking aggressive enforcement action to protect the public health," added Corrigan.
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CNN - U.S. marshals seize ultrasound gel that allegedly sickened 16 patients