Is Avelox the next Levaquin?
June 29th, 2009. By janem
Attorney Mike Stratton points out that Bayer’s patent on Cipro will expire soon and Ortho-McNeil’s blockbuster Levaquin has been targeted for the majority of lawsuits against the flouroquinolones family, so it is likely that Bayer may soon push sales of its more quiet cousin Avelox—described by Stratton as “the elephant in the room”. 
Flouroquinolone antibiotics are the most commonly prescribed class of antibiotics, yet many of them have been removed from the market due to their severe toxicity (e.g., Trovan, Tequin, Zagam, and Omniflox). Is it just a matter of time until Avelox is taken off the market or does Bayer have more control over its drugs than the FDA? (According to one website, the FDA gets about half of its funding for the review of drugs directly from the pharmaceutical industry in what is called prescription drug user fees.)
Although Avelox was slapped with a black box warning regarding tendon tears and ruptures, Bayer says that Avelox (and its close relative Cipro) are “effective and well tolerated” but try telling that to the many victims who have registered complaints on medical websites and their own personal blogs. This from one Avelox victim: “…yes, the potential for a ruptured tendon was mentioned in the [Avelox] box insert. But it was printed, like everything else was, in teeny tiny type. And of course, we never think WE are the people who will have the problems, do we?)”
Like that woman who suffered ankle tears, not everyone prescribed Avelox and suffering from tendon ruptures will make the connection between the drug and adverse events right away. After all, drug side effects actually reported to the FDA typically only involve about 1 percent to 10 percent of all problems experienced by users. However, there will likely be many Avelox lawsuits soon–just take a look at Levaquin.
July 8th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
I experience side effects from both Levaquin and Avelox. Recently, I was prescribed Avelox for a sinus infection. Within an hour after taking the med, I experienced a severe sore throat, the back of my tongue was paining really bad;my tongue actually was swollen; it was difficult to eat, my lips and face were swollen. I am currently experiencing what I would describe as nervous muscle tension. Upon reading more on these antibiotics, it was stated that the side effects could last weeks to month. The physician was called and although he knew that I could not take Levaquin; he gave me sample boxes of the Avelox. I am still not certain how long these side effects will last, but it’s been almost one week as of now. I was instructed to take Benadryl; what I should have done was go to the emergency room. I makes you wonder why doctors still prescribe these antibiotics when they know they are in the same family and has caused so may bad side effects for people.
July 8th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
My comment is that all medications should be researched before taking. When we are unaware of serious side effects of medicine, the cost is too high.