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Health Tip: Why Antibiotic Resistance Is Serious
Posted 16 Nov 2011 by Drugs.com
-- Antibiotic resistance occurs when a bacterium mutates and becomes immune to the effects of a specific antibiotic. You can help prevent antibiotic resistance by taking an antibiotic regimen only when necessary. Remember that antibiotics don't work against viral infections such as a cold or the flu. If you do begin taking an antibiotic, you should never skip a dose. Also, you should finish the entire amount that your doctor has prescribed, despite the fact that you might be feeling better. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says antibiotic-resistant bacteria are dangerous because: It may be difficult to find a medication that kills the bacteria. Resistant bacteria tend to spread more quickly between families and within communities. Infections become more difficult and more expensive to treat. People may die from a resistant infection before it can be treated ... Read more
Related support groups: Amoxicillin, Doxycycline, Bactrim, Bacterial Infection, Cephalexin, Penicillin, Clindamycin, Azithromycin, Cipro, Metronidazole, Levaquin, Zithromax, Augmentin, Flagyl, Ciprofloxacin
Docs Overprescribing Antibiotics for Home-Care Patients: Study
Posted 17 Jun 2011 by Drugs.com
FRIDAY, June 17 – Amid increased threats of drug-resistant infections, a new study reveals that doctors may overprescribe antibiotics to patients receiving ongoing medical care at home. Researchers from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, found that patients younger than 65 and those with poorer prognoses, in particular, are at greatest risk for misuse of the drugs. "Taken together, our results reveal tremendous variability in how and why antibiotics are prescribed, and that overuse in the home-care population is likely," said one of the study's authors, Dr. Mark Loeb. In conducting the study, published in the June issue of Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, researchers compiled medical information on more than 125,000 patients receiving home care for more than 60 days over the course of one year. The findings suggested that doctors may be more cautious with younger ... Read more
Related support groups: Amoxicillin, Doxycycline, Bactrim, Bacterial Infection, Cephalexin, Penicillin, Azithromycin, Cipro, Levaquin, Zithromax, Augmentin, Ciprofloxacin, Keflex, Erythromycin, Sulfamethoxazole
Smarten Up About Antibiotics, CDC Urges
Posted 18 Nov 2010 by Drugs.com
THURSDAY, Nov. 18 – Knowing when to take antibiotics – and when not to – can help fight the rise of deadly "superbugs," say experts at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About half of antibiotics prescribed are unnecessary or inappropriate, the agency says, and overuse has helped create bacteria that don't respond, or respond less effectively, to the drugs used to fight them. "Antibiotics are a shared resource that has become a scarce resource," said Dr. Lauri Hicks, a medical epidemiologist at the CDC. She's also medical director a of new program, Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work, that had its launch this week. "Everyone has a role to play in preventing the spread of antibiotic resistance," Hicks said. The stakes are high, said Dr. Arjun Srinivasan, CDC's associate director for health care-associated infection prevention programs. Almost every type of bacteria ... Read more
Related support groups: Infections, Amoxicillin, Doxycycline, Bactrim, Cephalexin, Penicillin, Clindamycin, Azithromycin, Cipro, Metronidazole, Levaquin, Zithromax, Augmentin, Flagyl, Ciprofloxacin
FDA Medwatch Alert: Ketek (telithromycin)
Posted 12 Feb 2007 by Drugs.com
[Posted 02/12/2007] FDA and Sanofi-Aventis notified healthcare professionals of revisions to the prescribing information, including a BOXED WARNING and a new Patient Medication Guide, for the antibiotic Ketek. Two of the three previously approved indications, acute bacterial sinusitis and acute bacterial exacerbations of chronic bronchitis, were removed from the prescribing information because the balance of benefits and risks no longer support approval of the drug for these indications. Ketek will remain on the market for the treatment of community acquired pneumonia of mild to moderate severity. In addition, warnings were strengthened for hepatotoxicity (liver injury), loss of consciousness, and visual disturbances. The BOXED WARNING states that Ketek is contraindicated in patients with myasthenia gravis. The Patient Medication Guide, which must be distributed to all patients, informs ... Read more
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FDA Medwatch Alert: Ketek (telithromycin)
Posted 29 Jun 2006 by Drugs.com
[Posted 06/29/2006] The Food and Drug Administration notified healthcare professionals and patients that it completed its safety assessment of Ketek (telithromycin), indicated for the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, acute bacterial sinusitis and community acquired pneumonia of mild to moderate severity, including pneumonia caused by resistant strep infections. The drug has been associated with rare cases of serious liver injury and liver failure with four reported deaths and one liver transplant after the administration of the drug. FDA determined that additional warnings are required and the manufacturer is revising the drug labeling to address this safety concern. FDA is advising both patients taking Ketek and their doctors to be on the alert for signs and symptoms of liver problems. Patients experiencing such signs or symptoms should discontinue Ketek and seek ... Read more
Related support groups: Ketek
FDA Medwatch Alert: Ketek (telithromycin)
Posted 20 Jan 2006 by Drugs.com
[Posted 01/20/2006] Annals of Internal Medicine published an article reporting three patients who experienced serious liver toxicity following administration of Ketek (telithromycin). These cases were also reported to FDA MedWatch. Telithromycin is marketed and used extensively in many other countries, including countries in Europe and Japan. While it is difficult to determine the actual frequency of adverse events from voluntary reporting systems such as the MedWatch program, the FDA is continuing to evaluate the issue of liver problems in association with use of telithromycin in order to determine if labeling changes or other actions are warranted. As a part of this, FDA is continuing to work to understand better the frequency of liver-related adverse events reported for approved antibiotics, including telithromycin. [January 20, 2006 – Public Health Advisory – ... Read more
Related support groups: Ketek