The fluoroquinolone antibiotics are a commonly prescribed group of agents which includes ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and moxifloxacin. They are used in a wide range of infections. Late last year FDA convened an Advisory Committee to review the information to assess the benefit or risks of these drugs in relatively simple, but still very troublesome, infections like sinusitis, chronic bronchitis and cystitis. The discussion focused on a constellation or collection of adverse events, cardiac issues, neuropathy problems and tendon, which are already seen with these antibiotics. This collection of adverse events was proposed to be a new syndrome FluoroQuinolone Associated Disability, FQAD. The Committee members were not convinced about this syndrome but did recommend against broad based use of fluoroquinolones in these infections due to the potential risk of side effects. As well the Committee wanted better education of doctors on how to use antibiotics better to preserve this critical group of drugs. Broad discussion highlighted the overall safety issues associated fluoroquinolones in community infections. As with all antibiotics careful prescribing is strongly recommendation so we maintain these valuable drugs.
Glenn Tillotson
GST Micro LLC, Downingtown, PA 19335, USA
Publication
FDA and the safe and appropriate antibiotic use of fluoroquinolones.
Tillotson GS
Lancet Infect Dis. 2016 Mar
Download PDF
Related Articles:
| Late second trimester miscarriages A second trimester miscarriage is the spontaneous loss of a pregnancy between 12 and 22 weeks of pregnancy. This is indeed a very sad experience to the parents. It has… |
| Sleep abnormalities in different clinical stages of… Sleep abnormalities are commonly observed in individuals with schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders. Research shows that over half of people with these conditions have trouble sleeping. Poor sleep also often… |
| UCLA researchers develop high-sensitivity… A significant advancement for point-of-care medical diagnostics, a team of researchers from UCLA has introduced a deep learning-enhanced, paper-based vertical flow assay (VFA) capable of detecting cardiac troponin I (cTnI)… |
| Improving assessment of arthritis models to better… Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a common inflammatory disease that is characterized by swelling and tenderness of multiple joints. The resulting pain and joint stiffness cause disability for patients and treatment… |
| Looking inside the heart: how multiple chronic… The aim of this study was to understand how having several ongoing health problems—what we refer to as multimorbidity—impacts the heart in people with cardiovascular disease, especially those undergoing heart… |
| Could mometasone furoate be a viable glucocorticoid… Glucocorticoids are medications widely used to treat inflammation and allergies, and in contexts of immunosuppression such as after transplants. They are well-established and safe. The problem is that, when used… |
The fluoroquinolone antibiotics are a commonly prescribed group of agents which includes ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin and moxifloxacin. They are used in a wide range of infections. Late last year FDA convened an Advisory Committee to review the information to assess the benefit or risks of these drugs in relatively simple, but still very troublesome, infections like sinusitis, chronic bronchitis and cystitis. The discussion focused on a constellation or collection of adverse events, cardiac issues, neuropathy problems and tendon, which are already seen with these antibiotics. This collection of adverse events was proposed to be a new syndrome FluoroQuinolone Associated Disability, FQAD. The Committee members were not convinced about this syndrome but did recommend against broad based use of fluoroquinolones in these infections due to the potential risk of side effects. As well the Committee wanted better education of doctors on how to use antibiotics better to preserve this critical group of drugs. Broad discussion highlighted the overall safety issues associated fluoroquinolones in community infections. As with all antibiotics careful prescribing is strongly recommendation so we maintain these valuable drugs.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.