Feds raid ultrasound gel manufacturer

Federal agents raided a New Jersey-based manufacturer of ultrasound gel after 16 patients the gel was used on became ill, the U.S. Marshals Service said. The raid was ordered by the Food and Drug Administration, which said the gel manufactured by Pharmaceutical Innovations Inc. was found to contain dangerous amounts of bacteria, CNN reported. "This ultrasound gel presented serious health risks to patients, particularly vulnerable ones," the FDA's Dara Corrigan said. The FDA issued a safety alert to health care providers about the bacteria risk and the possibility of the gel causing dangerous infections. Pharmaceutical Innovations' Web site calls the company the "world's leader in ultrasound contact media." The gel is used by medical professionals in a procedure involving high-frequency sound waves to look at patients' organs. A CNN phone call to the firm elicited a response of "no comment."