The quinolone antibiotic norfloxacin has a strong link to development of acute liver injury that in some cases has led to severe liver failure, according to a recent fluoroquinolone study.

Norfloxacin (also sold under the trade name Noroxin) is a first generation quinolone antibiotic that for many years was widely used to treat all types of bacterial infections, though it now has a limited set of specific uses and prescriptions.

It was first approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as an antibiotic treatment in 1986 and is known to be effective in combating urinary tract infections, sexually transmitted diseases, and prostatitis. Norfloxacin has also been prescribed for off-label use to treat cases of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in patients suffering from cirrhosis. Like all drugs, especially those in the quinolone family, norfloxacin has some reported minor and major side effects, ranging from headaches and upset stomach to photosensitivity and peripheral neuropathy (or nerve damage).

Based on recent studies and consumer reports, liver damage may be added to this list of harmful norfloxacin side effects.

Quinolone Liver Damage

Fluoroquinolones have been linked to liver damage and liver failure for years with the first FDA Drug and Safety Communication regarding possible quinolone liver damage side effects published in 1999. In January 2014, the National Library of Medicine published a study about the strong correlation between a patient’s use of norfloxacin and an increased risk of liver damage and liver failure.

Like other quinolone drugs, norfloxacin is known to raise a certain serum enzyme in the body. In most individuals this increased enzyme production does not cause any harm, but in others it can lead to acute liver injury.

Generally, those suffering from norfloxacin quinolone liver damage can exhibit symptoms that can last anywhere from a day to three weeks while on norfloxacin therapy. In most norfloxacin liver damage cases, a patient will recover two to eight weeks after discontinuing the fluoroquinolone antibiotic therapy.

However, in some cases the liver damage can be so severe that it may take much longer and require additional medical care to treat this norfloxacin side effect.

Quinolone Drugs and Possible Side Effects

Norfloxacin (also sold as Chibroxin Ophthalmic and Noroxin Oral) is not the only fluoroquinolone antibiotic drug known to cause liver damage or liver failure. Some other popular quinolone antibiotics allegedly known to cause a similar toxic liver reaction include:

• Ciprofloxacin (Ciloxan Ophthalmic, Cipro)
• Levofloxacin (Levaquin, QUIXIN Ophthalmic)
• Lomefloxacin (Maxaquin)
• Moxifloxacin (Avelox)
• Norfloxacin (Chibroxin Ophthalmic, Noroxin Oral)
• Ofloxacin (Floxin, Ocuflox Ophthalmic)
• Sparfloxacin (Zagam)
• Trovafloxacin (Trovan)

These same quinolone drugs have also been known to have other serious side effects and health risks, including serious skin reactions like Stevens Johnson Syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN). Because of the severe pain and the damage quinolone drugs like norfloxacin have been known to cause, many consumers have decided to file quinolone lawsuits or join quinolone class action lawsuits against the pharmaceutical companies that manufacture these types of antibiotics.