Newer class of fluoroquinolone antibiotics may present reduced risk of tendon ruptures

It’s widely understood that people taking a common class of antibiotics, like ciprofloxacin and levofloxacin, run the risk of tendonitis and tendon ruptures. However, a new analysis sheds light on newer, third-generation fluoroquinolones and suggests they may have a lower risk of Achilles tendon rupture. Researchers from Jichi Medical University in Tochigi, Japan, used health care administrative data to identify 504 patient cases of Achilles tendon ruptures with co-occurrence of antibiotics. They found that third-generation fluoroquinolones were not associated with an increase in Achilles tendon rupture. First- and second-generation fluoroquinolones, like ciprofloxacin and ofloxacin, were at elevated risk of tendon rupture, which was consistent with previous evidence. Third-generation fluoroquinolones include moxifloxacin, garenoxacin, sitafloxacin, prulifloxacin and pazufloxacin, some of which are not yet approved by the Food and Drug Administration in the United States. The authors note that further studies are required to determine the risks of third-generation fluoroquinolones for other rare adverse events, such as heart damage.

Reference:
Association Between Third-Generation Fluoroquinolones and Achilles Tendon Rupture: A Self-Controlled Case Series Analysis
Takashi Chinen, MD, et al
Jichi Medical University, Department of Clinical Oncology, Tochigi, Japan
https://www.annfammed.org/content/19/3/212

This article is based on a press release from the American Academy of Family Physicians.