The need-to-know information for Gatifloxacin
GatifloxacinPearls and fun nuggets
1. The oral brand of Gatifloxacin was a flop 😒A Canadian study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in March 2006 claimed that Tequin (the oral brand of gatifloxacin) can have significant side effects including dysglycemia.[3] An editorial by Jerry Gurwitz in the same issue called for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to consider giving Tequin a black box warning.[4]
2. Because of that….👆 Gatifloxacin is currently available in the US and Canada only as an ophthalmic solution.
3. You can drop it into ears too 👂 Although gatifloxacin is intended primarily for opthalamic use, it is safe and highly effective in treating ear infections.
Patient Perspectives
“I’ve been using Zymar for a week for conjunctivitis and it has had only a slight improvement. Everyday I kept hoping for the redness to go away. I used something else last year and got results within 3 days. The doctors are resistant to changing the medication, but it is certainly indicated. I’ve been out of work for a week. I’m frustrated.”
“I am a 63 year old man who came down with Conjunctivitis on a Friday afternoon. I spent a miserable weekend before getting in to see my eye doctor. I paid $72 for my tiny bottle of Zymar, and to me, it was worth every penny. My first application of Zymar really knocked it down, and subsequent applications really cleared it up. I was so miserable, it made me wonder what life was like before these medical miracles. Thank God for the people who invent these wonderful drugs!”
“The cost of this medication is nothing short of rape. $60 for a tiny 5mL bottle. When will this end?”
- Why every medic should love Deployed Medicine - November 8, 2020
- 3 Areas Where Medics Fall Short - November 7, 2020