The United States (US) Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said the antibiotic clarithromycin (brand name: Biaxin) may increase the long-term risk of heart problems and death in patients with heart diseases.
These are contained in a press release issued by the FDA on Thursday, which urged medical doctors recommending the medication to carefully weigh the benefits and risks of the drug before prescribing it to patients with heart problems.
There’s no clear explanation for how clarithromycin would increase heart disease patients’ risk of death, the FDA stated. Antibiotics, also known as antibacterials, are medications that destroy or slow down the growth of bacteria.
They include a range of powerful drugs and are used to treat diseases caused by bacteria. However, in recent time, antibiotics are reported to be failing, making scientists to return to laboratories to find solutions to the problem.
The FDA, in the release, stated that its warning was based on a 10-year follow-up study of patients with coronary heart disease. The study found an unexpected and unexplained increase in deaths among heart disease patients who took clarithromycin for two weeks and were followed for one year or longer. One heart specialist said this type of alert is worth heeding, however.
The FDA said it has added a new warning about this increased risk for heart patients, and was advising doctors to consider prescribing other antibiotics to these patients. The agency added that it would continue to monitor safety reports in patients taking clarithromycin.
The antibiotic is used to treat many types of infections affecting the skin, ears, sinuses, lungs and other parts of the body. Doctors should talk to their heart patients about the risks and benefits of clarithromycin and alternative treatments.
If doctors prescribe clarithromycin to patients with heart disease, they should inform those patients about the signs and symptoms of cardiovascular problems, the FDA said. Similarly, the FDA advised patients taking the antibiotic to seek immediate medical attention if they experience symptoms of a heart attack or stroke, such as chest pain, shortness of breath or trouble breathing, pain or weakness in one part or side of the body, or slurred speech.
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