Were you prescribed a fluoroquinolone antibacterial drug from your doctor or hospital to treat an upper respiratory infection? Chances are you are probably placing yourself in an unnecessary risk for severe injury.
Fluoroquinolones are a group of antibiotics that include drugs such as Ciprofloxacin, Levaquin, or Avelox, to treat common upper respiratory infection illnesses. Back on May 12, 2016, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”) announced that serious side effects associated with fluoroquinolone generally outweigh the benefits of drugs for acute sinusitis, bronchitis, or an uncomplicated urinary tract infection. The FDA determined that for treatment of those conditions fluoroquinolones should be reserved for use in patients with no other treatment options.
The FDA convened an expert panel to analyze and review patient safety for using fluoroquinolones to treat garden variety bacterial infections. The conclusion was overwhelmingly that, in most cases, the benefit of fluoroquinolones to treat those infections was outweighed by serious harms, including nerve damage, ruptured tendons, and peripheral neuropathy.
Dr. Lindsay R. Baden, M.D., a member of the FDA panel charged with making these findings, and an infectious disease physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, stated that fluoroquinolones are power antibiotics that work against a wide variety of bacteria. This convenience can lead physicians and hospitals to overprescribe them to treat simple bacterial infections that can be resolved by other milder antibiotics. Instead, fluoroquinolones “should typically be reserved for second-line or even third-line treatment after other antibiotics have failed.”
The reality is that over prescription of antibiotics is not limited to fluoroquinolones. According to data published in May 2016 in the Journal of the American Medical Association by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, at least 30 percent of all antibiotic prescribed in the United States are unnecessary.
Harford, P.C., is now investigating a number of potential medical malpractice actions against hospitals and physicians inappropriately prescribing these medications and causing catastrophic and life-altering injuries. These individuals were still prescribed these drugs for mild upper respiratory infections.
If you or someone you know has been injured by a fluoroquinolone drug, we are here to help you. Please call us today at (212) 390-8983 for a free consultation. You may also complete the form on the side menu and we will contact you to set up a free consultation.
