Pradaxa Internal Bleeding

FDA says azithromycin increases risk of heart death

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has notified healthcare professionals of a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine that found patients taking a widely used antibiotic are at higher risk for potentially deadly heart problems.

The study concerns Zithromax, the brand name for azithromycin, which is commonly prescribed for pneumonia and other common infections. The FDA announcement emphasizes that patients taking the drug shouldn’t stop without talking to their doctors.

According to the FDA announcement, azithromycin belongs to a ...

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Woman dies after switching to Pradaxa

An article in the spring issue of “The Safety Report” gives an account of a woman who died of gastrointestinal hemorrhage after switching to the anti-coagulant Pradaxa.

According to the account, she’d been taking anti-coagulant Coumadin for years because of a heart rhythm problem known as atrial fibrillation. Pradaxa was marketed as a therapeutic simplification that, unlike Coumadin, doesn’t require patients to get monthly blood tests.

Boehringer Ingelheim, the manufacturers of ...

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