Product News and Recalls

Fluoroquinolones Linked to Increased Risk of Aortic Aneurysm, Dissection

new risks associated with fluoroquinolonesAccording to a new study in JAMA Internal Medicine, fluoroquinolones may increase users’ risk of aortic aneurysm and dissection.

Fluoroquinolones are a class of broad-spectrum antibiotics commonly used to treat serious respiratory and urinary bacterial infections, especially those acquired in hospitals. Brand-name examples include Cipro, Factive, Levaquin, Avelox, Noroxin, and Floxin, which in total were prescribed to 23 million patients in 2011.

Fluoroquinolones have already been linked to severe nerve damage. In 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) updated the drugs’ labels to indicate fluoroquinolones may cause sudden, severe, and potentially permanent nerve damage, called peripheral neuropathy. And before that, fluoroquinolones received a black box warning from the FDA in 2008 warning about risk of tendon damage and rupture.

Now a new study says fluoroquinolones may pose another risk. Researchers looked at nearly a quarter of a million cases from Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database and found that patients who had been exposed to fluoroquinolones within 60 days were roughly twice as likely to suffer aortic aneurysm or dissection. The study’s authors recommend that practitioners be “vigilant for the appearance of aortic aneurysm and dissection in high-risk patients treated with fluoroquinolones.”

Speak with your doctor before making any changes to your treatment plan. If you or a loved one suffered nerve damage or aortic complications after using fluoroquinolones, contact the pharmaceutical attorneys at Lopez McHugh for a free legal consultation.