Keywords: Avelox Fluoroquinolone Lawyer Liver Damage Attorney Antibiotic Lawsuit

Fluoroquinolones were first introduced in 1986, but they are really modified quinolones, a class of antibiotics discovered in the early 1960s.  Critics of these drugs allege that fluoroquinolone antibiotics were developed and put on the fast track for Food & Drug Administration (FDA) approval without the benefit of adequate premarket testing to accurately determine the probability of certain side effects within the general population. After gaining FDA approval, the new fluoroquinolone antibiotics were aggressively marketed by the manufacturers.

Fluoroquinolones are used to treat a variety of bacterial infections.  However these antibiotics are also linked to serious side effects, one of which is liver damage.  Despite the seriousness of this risk, the manufacturers of fluoroquinolone antibiotics have failed to adequately warn patients of this danger.  Our Fluoroquinolone liver damage lawyers intend to hold the makers of these drugs accountable for this negligence, and will work hard to make sure our clients receive the compensation they deserve.

Fluoroquinolones and Liver Damage

Over the past several years, evidence has been growing linking fluoroquinolones with liver damage.  Trovan, a Pfizer-made fluoroquinolone antibiotic, was removed from the market because of an association with liver toxicity. In June 1999 the FDA advised doctors to limit the prescription of Trovan after it was "strongly associated" with 14 cases of acute liver failure and six deaths. The FDA had received over 100 reports of liver problems in people taking Trovan, which was at that time being prescribed at a rate of 300,000 patients per month in the United States.

In December 2001, the Chicago Journals Clinical Infectious Disease published an account of a patient who suffered from case of severe acute liver toxicity that appeared to have been complicated by intravenous administration of Levaquin.  Once Levaquin therapy was stopped, the situation was resolved.
 

In August 2005, researchers from the Ankara University Medical School in Turkey published an account of a 55-year-old woman who was hospitalized with the diagnosis of hepatic encephalopathy, a condition that stems from liver failure that causes changes in cognitive function.  The woman died 12 days after being admitted to the hospital.

According to the researchers, prior to her diagnosis, the woman was being treated with 500 mg per day of Levaquin over a ten day period.  The researchers concluded that her condition was caused by Levaquin after they were able to rule out all other causes.  The researchers concluded that clinicians should be aware of the possibility of severe liver injury associated with Levaquin when prescribing this drug.

In February 2008, Bayer issued a "Dear Healthcare Provider" letter to doctors in Europe warning that Avelox (moxifloxacin) had caused incidents of severe liver and skin side effects in patients.  Bayer has included the additional warnings in the packaging of Avelox products since the previous autumn, after some incidents of severe side effects were monitored.

In July 2008, the European Medicines Agency (EMEA) announced it had completed a review of new data on the safety of oral formulations  of Avalox and other moxifloxacin-containing medicines. The Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) concluded that the benefits of these medicines for the treatment of acute bacterial sinusitis, acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis and community-acquired pneumonia continue to outweigh their risks.

However, due to safety concerns, mainly related to an increased risk of adverse hepatic reactions, CHMP recommended restricting their use to the treatment of acute bacterial sinusitis, acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis and community-acquired pneumonia when other antibiotics cannot be used or have failed. CHMP also recommended that the warnings of oral moxifloxacin-containing medicines be strengthened concerning the risk of diarrhea, heart failure in women and older patients, severe skin reactions and fatal liver injury.
 

There have been anecdotal reports of liver damage with other fluoroquinolone antibiotics.  Many of these reports have come from individuals treated with Cipro during the anthrax attacks of 2001.  In 2006, the FDA had the makers of fluoroquinolone antibiotics list liver damage as a side effect on the product's labels. However,  these warnings are not very prominent, and many patient advocates continue to lobby for a stronger black box warning about these risks.

Help for Victims of Fluoroquinolone Liver Damage

If you or a loved one developed liver damage or suffered from liver failure as a result of treatment with fluoroquinolone antibiotics, you have valuable legal rights.  Please fill out our online form, or call 1-800-LAW INFO (1-800-529-4636) to speak with an experienced fluoroquinolone liver damage lawyer.