14 DAY TRIAL // After 6 years from its release and 20 million patients using Tequin, a commercial name for the antibiotic gatifloxacin, the drug is found to chance blood glucose, a serious life threat for people with diabetes.
Scientist studied 1,260 patients hospitalized for complications from blood glucose, who received this antibiotic. 5,000 prescriptions were written each day, for a variety of bacterial infections. Dr. David Juurlink controlled a study to see if Tequin has harmful side effects, finding alarming results. "The problem took several years to appreciate," he stated.
After examining 788 patients suffering from complications of low blood sugar, and 470 with high blood sugar, all given an antibiotic before their hospitalization, only Tequin caused threatening blood sugar chances. Concerning results showed that people on the drug were 4 times more likely to develop low blood pressure and 17 times more likely to develop high blood pressure than those on other antibiotics, 1 percent of the patients taking the antibiotic being at risk.
Eric Miller, a spokesman for Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., the company which produces Tequin, said that the results "were consistent with the post-marketing experience we have had to date", and reported sales of the drug of $100 million in the United States and $150 million worldwide.
Gatifloxacin is part of a larger segment of antibiotics used to threat gonorrhea, sinus, urinary tract infections and are often used to treat unknown infections, because they kill a large variety of bacteria. Antibiotics from this family were previously banned for serious side effects; temafloxacin caused red blood cells damage, kidney failures and hypoglycemia, grepafloxacin and sparfloxacin cause heart problems and trovafloxacin damages the liver.
People with diabetes who take Tequin are recommended alternative antibiotics. Doctors are also advised to keep an eye on patients who do not have diabetes, but take the drug.