In the United States, fluoroquinolone antibiotics recently have gained increased attention due to safety concerns. In November 2015, a joint meeting of the Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee and Drug Safety and Risk Management Advisory Committee was conducted to review risks and benefits of the systemic fluoroquinolone antibacterial drugs for the treatment of acute bacterial sinusitis, acute bacterial exacerbation of chronic bronchitis in patients who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections. Potential fluoroquinolone-associated adverse events, both new and established, were a major focus of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory meeting discussion. Given emerging evidence that multiple toxicities can occur concurrently and result in potentially permanent disability, the condition “fluoroquinolone-associated disability,” or FQAD, was first described. In response to this advisory meeting, the FDA released a Drug Safety communication in May 2016 advising restricted use of fluoroquinolones for uncomplicated infections, as risks generally outweigh benefits. This presentation reviews established fluoroquinolone-associated adverse events, including tendinopathy, neurotoxicity, and arrhythmias, as well as emerging toxicities. Key findings from the FDA advisory meeting and FQAD data are also reviewed.

Biography:
Monique Bidell is currently an Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Albany, NY. She maintains an active clinical practice site at St. Peterʼs Hospital in Albany, NY. Dr. Bidell earned her Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degreefrom Northeastern University in Boston, MA. She completed a year of postdoctoral residency training in Pharmacy Practice at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, MA. She then completed a specialty residency in Infectious Diseases at the University of Chicago Medicine in Chicago, IL. She is a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist.