A dozen patients will file a complaint this week in France for involuntary injuries and aggravated deception. They believe they are victims of serious adverse effects from a class of antibiotics called fluoroquinolones, which were prescribed to them off-label, according to public radio France Info.
Fluoroquinolones, marketed under different names, such as Ciflox, Oflocet or Tavanic, are old antibiotics and widely used against serious infections. But over the years, the list of potential adverse effects, sometimes irreversible, grows longer: tendonitis, aneurysms, neuropsychiatric disorders, nervous system damage.
In 2019, the French authorities restrict the indications for fluoroquinolones in the wake of a European opinion. Prescriptions are decreasing, but these antibiotics continue to be prescribed on a large scale, in situations where they should not be.
Shedding Light on Responsibilities
This is what happened to the patients who will file a complaint this week. They are ten to take legal action and file a complaint against their doctors and against X. “They want light to be shed on the responsibilities of both prescribers and health authorities, explains Me Maxime Bailly, their lawyer. Prescribers, know why so little information on the significant adverse effects of these antibiotics for patients who ingest them. And then also question the health authorities on the ease with which they were able to demonstrate since the authorities have been informed since 2019 and the marketing authorization restriction of the adverse effects of these antibiotics. »
For its part, the Ministry of Health clarified to Agence France-Presse that health professionals had received several letters on the adverse effects linked to fluoroquinolones from 2019.
►Read also : In France, tens of thousands of children are on psychotropic drugs, warns a report