Dangerous Drugs: Tequin

Columbus, Ohio

Tequin, is the brand name for a strong antibiotic, gatifloxacin, manufactured and marketed by drug company Bristol-Myers Squibb. It is primarily prescribed for treatment of conditions such as pneumonia, bronchitis, and gonorrhea, as well as for urinary, skin, and kidney infections.

Tequin was FDA approved in 2000, and as early as 2002, reports had begun to mount linking use to Tequin to blood sugar problems, including diabetes, in previously healthy patients.

Since that year, evidence of the link has grown more alarming. A 2006 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine reported an alarming rate of diabetes and other blood sugar disorders, many potentially fatal. In response to these reports, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) began requiring a "black box warning" on Tequin packaging. Black box warnings are the strongest type of warning issued for prescription drugs.

Side Effects
Patients taking Tequin are exposed to a number of serious risks, including:

Hyperglycemia, or elevated blood sugar levels-People taking Tequin are sixteen times more likely to develop hyperglycemia than patients taking similar medications.
Hypoglycemia, or depletion of blood sugar-People taking Tequin are four times as likely to develop hypoglycemia as those taking similar medications.
Diabetic ketoacidosis, a severe and uncontrolled blood sugar imbalance.
Kidney damage and disease
Pain, inflammation, and rupture of tendons
Seizures
Dizziness and lightheadedness
Tremors
Hallucinations
Severe depression and suicidal ideation

As of 2006, there were at least 388 cases of patients developing serious blood sugar imbalances while taking Tequin. Of that number, 159 patients were hospitalized, and 20 cases were fatal.

As a result of the public attention to these alarming statistics, Bristol-Myers Squibb stopped manufacturing and marketing Tequin for the US market in 2006.

Legal advice
If you or a loved one think you may have suffered damages as a result of taking Tequin, it is important to contact an experienced pharmaceutical attorney as soon as possible. He or she can help you gather the information you need and determine whether you have a cause of action to sue for damages.

In Ohio, call or email Robert W. Kerpsack, Co., L.P.A., to schedule your free personal consultation.

Back to the Main Drug Litigation page