One of the most commonly prescribed quinolone antibiotics, Cipro, is being linked to a rare allergic skin condition known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome.

Ciprofloxacin (Cipro) along with other fluoroquinolones such as Levaquin, Avelox and Trovan are some of the most powerful antibiotics to treat bacterial infections. However, consumers report that these medications have caused the development of the potentially deadly skin condition SJS.

Despite its effectiveness in treating bacterial infections, those who have filed an SJS lawsuit against Cipro manufacturer claim the drug’s warning label was insufficient and carried little if any caution about the possibility of developing Stevens Johnson Syndrome. Some patients allege that the manufacturers of bestselling quinolone Cipro intentionally withheld the SJS risk from the warning label while the drug maker over marketed the medication.

What is Cipro SJS?

Cipro Stevens Johnson Syndrome is considered a dermatological emergency that requires hospitalization in order to treat effectively. Patients who develop the rare allergic reaction often mistake early SJS symptoms for the flu as they experience body aches, chills and even a fever. However, shortly after developing flu-like symptoms, a rapidly spreading red or purple rash will begin to develop on the skin and mucous membranes.

The Cipro SJS rash will then turn into skin blisters that eventually cause the top layer of skin to die and shed. The SJS rash can cover between 10 to 30 percent of the body, but if it progresses beyond that it becomes Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN).

Cipro SJS is fatal in 15 percent of cases, whereas TEN is even more serious, as it carries a 40 percent mortality rate. An estimated 300 new reports of SJS occur in the United States each year.

Patients who are treated for SJS or TEN require hospitalization as their skin is quite literally burning from the inside out. Doctors must determine which medication is causing the life-threatening allergic reaction in order to treat the SJS rash. 

Quinolone Complications

In addition to SJS and TEN, the FDA has documented other serious and often fatal adverse event reports from consumers related to quinolone use. According to the FDA Adverse Events Reporting System, between the years of 1997 and 2010 quinolone medications have caused 2,500 deaths and another 45,000 serious complications.

However, the federal agency states that only about 10 percent of adverse drug reactions are reported, which means about 90 percent of quinolone complications remain unknown.

Quinolone antibiotics are some of the most widely prescribed medications in the country. The following is a list of the names quinolone medications are marketed under:

• Ciprofloxacin (Cipro)
• Trovafloxacin (Trovan)
• Levofloxacin (Levaquin)
• Moxifloxacin (Avelox)
• Sparfloxacin (Zagam)
• Ofloxacin (Floxin)
• Lomefloxacin (Maxaquin)
• Norfloxacin (Chibroxin Ophthalmic)

SJS Quinolone Lawsuits

Thousands of quinolone lawsuits have been filed by patients who allege the medication caused one of many serious quinolone side effects including SJS. Many of the SJS lawsuits claim that the drug manufacturers did little to warn consumers about the chances of developing the allergic skin reaction.