by John Aitken and Kevin Taylor
The following abstract accompanied an oral presentation at a New Zealand veterinary conference in 2014, and it was a fair summary of our thinking at the time. Most of the problems outlined in the article have since been addressed by us. In addition, the contributing group has expanded considerably.
Dr. William Chamberlin | FDA Warning for Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics
by Dr. William Chamberlin
On July 26, 2016, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning regarding the use of antibiotics in the fluoroquinolone class. These include levofloxacin (Levaquin), ciprofloxacin (Cipro), ciprofloxacin extended-release tablets, moxifloxacin (Avelox), ofloxacin and gemifloxacin (Factive).
Two of these drugs (levofloxacin and ciprofloxacin) are sometimes prescribed to treat Crohn’s disease via a pathogen model (AMAT). However, the risks associated with the fluoroquinolone class of medications are serious. Because of this, I will no longer recommend the use of levofloxacin or ciprofloxacin for the treatment of Crohn’s disease, except in extreme cases where the benefits may outweigh the serious risks.