Sacramento, Calif.--15 March 2006--In a public letter, Bausch
& Lomb's Chairman and CEO Ron Zarrella announces that the company
has permanently withdrawn ReNu with MoistureLoc from the market,
with no plans to renew production.
Dear Loyal ReNu Consumer,
I want to report to you on an important action we are taking,
why we are doing so, and what it means to you.
On April 13, we told you to stop using MoistureLoc contact lens
solution. Today we have decided to recall this product throughout
the world. We will not reintroduce it.
We are taking this action now because our Number One priority
is the safety of our customers. We want you to have complete confidence
in our products.
Over the past three months, we’ve been working closely with government
agencies, health authorities and independent experts worldwide on
an exhaustive investigation to find out if there are any factors
related to our MoistureLoc product that may have placed contact
lens wearers at a greater risk of developing a rare eye infection
caused by the Fusarium fungus. We are deeply saddened to learn about
the people who have been affected by Fusarium keratitis.
You may recall that earlier this year health authorities in Asia
and the U.S. reported that many – but not all – people with this
infection had used MoistureLoc made in the U.S., so we removed the
product while we investigated.
After thousands of tests, there is no evidence of MoistureLoc
contamination, tampering or counterfeiting. That leads us to conclude
that there may be some aspect of the MoistureLoc formula, when combined
with certain environmental factors, lens wear and care practices,
and other factors, that might increase the risk of Fusarium infection
in rare circumstances.
I’ve said before if there’s a problem with our product, we’ll
fix it. So we’re taking decisive and responsible action in the interests
of our customers by permanently removing MoistureLoc. It’s the right
thing to do.
This action does not affect our other ReNu products, including
MultiPlus and Multi-Purpose. Each has a long-standing, unsurpassed
record of safety and effectiveness, and you can use them with confidence.
To make it easier for you to properly care for your lenses, we’ve
launched a new Wear&Care program in cooperation with eye care professionals
to give you the products and information you need to keep your eyes
healthy.
We encourage you to visit our website to learn more about these
initiatives: www.bausch.com.
For more than 150 years, people have trusted the health of their
eyes to Bausch & Lomb. We are honored to have earned your trust
and we are working hard every day to keep it.
Sincerely,
Ron Zarrella
Chairman and CEO, Bausch & Lomb
