Barbara Anderman  |  December 26, 2014

Category: Legal News

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quinoloneQuinolones are some of the most widely prescribed antibiotics in the world. The most common names include Avelox (moxifloxacin), Cipro (ciprofloxin), and Levaquin (levofloxacin), which are often used to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs) and respiratory ailments like pneumonia.

However, researchers are looking at moxifloxacin as a possible treatment for tuberculosis.

Currently, the treatment for tuberculosis is a six-month treatment of medication, but Indian scientists think that moxifloxacin may change that. Trials that included the antibiotic showed the possibility of shorter treatment time with the antibiotic.

Scientists at the National Institute for Research in Tuberculosis found over seven years of clinical trials that included using moxifloxacin in a four-month treatment for tuberculosis, which showed better results than the traditional six-month regimens.

While recurrence was almost the same for people on both programs, patients using moxifloxacin “tested negative for potential to spread TB to others.”

The researchers’ trials started in May 2007. Over 700 patients with no previous TB treatment were broken into four groups and given varying drug schedules.

Their findings, shared in Barcelona, Spain at the Union World Conference on Lung Health, showed that of the “three groups on four-month regimens, 96 percent of patients given a combination of rifampicin, isoniazid, ethambutol and moxifloxacin in the last two months were cured of the infection compared to 91 percent of patients in the standard regimen.”

Attempts at a three-month regimen were not positive, but the four-month treatment study is still being reviewed.

Interestingly, the results of this study conflict with three other studies from India and Africa that show the four-month schedule of drugs may not be effective.

All researchers agree that reducing the treatment time from six months is important. Currently, many patients quit their drug regimen within the first month, once symptoms disappear, which can increase the risk of spreading new, drug-resistant strains of TB.

However, antibiotics in the same class moxiflaxacin do come with their share of side effects.

Side Effects of Quinolones

Antibiotics in the quinolone class have a list of side effects, including liver toxicity, potential tendon damage, dizziness, confusion, and racing heart. Avelox (moxifloxacin), while effective in this TB trial, is an antibiotic most known for causing adverse effects like liver damage.

Moreover, quinolones are among the antibiotics that are over-prescribed. The number of adverse event reports on these drugs grows consistently, as do the warnings from health agencies. Both Health Canada and the European Medicines Agency voiced concern about quinolones and the threat of liver damage.

Concern about quinolone drugs have been expressed for years. In 2008, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Avelox, along with other drugs in quinolone family, would add “Black-Box” warnings for the threat of tendinitis and tendon ruptures.

In 2012, research from J. Michael Paterson and colleagues in Toronto, Ontario analyzed reports from a spectrum of cases of elderly patients reporting acute liver injury from April 2002 through March 2011.

Their findings, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, showed that for this segment of the population, “moxifloxacin was associated with a more than two-fold increased risk of admission to hospital for acute liver injury.”

Avelox, a product of Bayer Pharmaceuticals, and other quinolones, have a number of quinolone lawsuits blaming them for injuries allegedly incurred as a result of taking the antibiotic.

Additionally, thousands of adverse event reports have been filed over the years, and the FDA Adverse Events Reporting System (AERS) shows reports of more than 2,000 deaths linked to fluoroquinolones between 1997 and 2010.

Do YOU have a legal claim? Fill out the form on this page now for a free, immediate, and confidential case evaluation. The attorneys who work with Top Class Actions will contact you if you qualify to let you know if an individual lawsuit or class action lawsuit is best for you. [In general, quinolone lawsuits are filed individually by each plaintiff and are not class actions.] Hurry — statutes of limitations may apply.

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If you or someone you know took Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox or another quinolone antibiotic and were diagnosed with liver failure, Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) or toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), you may have a legal claim. See if you qualify by submitting your information below for a free and confidential case review.

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