• Defective Drug Side Effects

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Tequin, one of the most widely prescribed antibiotics used to treat pneumonia and other infections, is believed to lead to serious blood-sugar complications in users.

Studies released yesterday by the New England Journal of Medicine concluded that Tequin posed potentially life-threatening low-blood sugar or high-blood sugar irregularities when compared with other antibiotics. Further evidence showed that Tequin may pose increased risks for diabetics.

“What we found was that people taking gatifloxacin (sold under brand name Tequin) had more than a fourfold increase in the risk of being treated in the hospital for low blood sugar than people who were on other antibiotics. And the people on gatifloxacin had almost 17 times more risk of developing high blood sugar,” study co-author David Juurlink said.

Researchers also found a small increased chance of low-blood sugar with the use of Levaquin, an antibiotic similar to Tequin. However, there were no adverse effects with the other antibiotics studied.

This evidence comes two weeks after The Food and Drug Administration issued a stronger Tequin label warning, alerting consumers of the heightened risks associated with the drug. The FDA also revealed information about several rare cases of life-threatening problems linked to Tequin since it''s approval in 1999.

Tequin manufacturer, Bristol-Myers Squibb has reported that the drug should not be prescribed to diabetics. In addition, they warned that the elderly and people with kidney problems are more prone to develop complications with use of Tequin.

According to Bristol-Meyers Squibb spokesman Eric Miller said that the new label change the company made last month is consistent with the results of the new study.