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Dr Gérald Kierzek (Medical Director of Doctissimo)
Medical validation:
March 23, 2023
Patients who are victims of powerful antibiotics – fluoroquinolones – have lodged a complaint with the Paris public health center. Should these drugs be banned? The answer of Dr Gérald Kierzek, medical director of Doctissimo.
They are dozens to take legal action for cause “serious side effects” due to fluoroquinolones. These antibiotics, often used to treat serious bacterial infections, would indeed cause “irreversible or even fatal effects“according to a patient association.
Potentially serious side effects
Oflocet, Ciflox or Tavanic. Do these names speak to you? No wonder, since these “fluoroquinolones” are sometimes prescribed for simple infections (cystitis, otitis or sinusitis…).
And yet: these powerful antibiotics can sometimes lead to serious neuropsychiatric disorders, peripheral neuropathies (damage to peripheral nerves) but also cardiovascular and musculoskeletal disorders, according to the ANSM.
“Fluoroquinolones may be essential in the treatment of certain bacterial infections. However, they should only be prescribed after having carefully assessed their benefits against the risks of expected adverse effects, and after having informed the patient about them.recalls the Medicines Agency.
“We draw the attention of healthcare professionals and patients to the precautions to take when using fluoroquinolones, as well as the importance of knowing the warning signs and what to do when faced with warning signs of side effects that can be serious (…)”, she adds.
The problem ? Despite these prescription precautions, some patients are still victims of collateral damage.
Patients take legal action
This is the case of a dozen patients whose health “has been seriously degraded“following the intake of these antibiotics, reports France news.
The group has lodged a complaint with the Paris public health center and is asking justice “to open a criminal investigation into the liability of doctors and health authorities“.
The media also reveals that a dozen other complaints should be filed this week.
In total, according to OECD data relayed by a patient association “six million poisonings in France with fluoroquinolones” took place in France in four years.
But for Dr. Kierzek, one cannot speak of poisoning.
“It is a legal qualification, not a medical qualification. We cannot speak of poison. Of course, these antibiotics should not be prescribed haphazardly, and generally not as first-line treatment, because they have potentially serious side effects in the elderly, individuals with a history of kidney disease and patients with tendinitis or at risk of rupture. tendon. But they also save lives. Like any drug, it must therefore be prescribed wisely, taking into account the benefit-risk balance.“, indicates the medial director of Doctissimo.
It also specifies that in the event of “tendon pain or muscle weakness, the patient should inform their doctor who will proceed to stop treatment“. Another important point: in the event of an undesirable effect, it can be reported to the authorities. To do this, consult the authority of your country appearing on the list of national authorities in the EEA.