Portsmouth university experts warn of dangers from UTI antibiotics

Research from the University of Portsmouth found that antibiotics used in many parts of the world can cause tendon ruptures, nervous system problems and aneurysm. These antibiotics, called fluoroquinolones, are used to treat respiratory infections and UTIs.

American food and drug administrations, European medicines agencies and UK’s medicines and healthcare products regulatory agency have all advised doctors not to prescribe the antibiotics as a first line of defence unless absolutely necessary.

However, recent studies show many countries have not constricted its use.

Dr Robert Baldock from the school of pharmacy and biomedical sciences at the University of Portsmouth said: ‘What we found that was quite striking is that Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Canada don’t have these warning for disabling effects for fluoroquinolones.

‘And, so what this paper does is examine the evidence that was used to make these policies in the first place, and as a result calls for a global harmonisation of the safety warnings.’

The paper, published in expert opinion on drug safety as part of a collaborative project between several institutions including university of Portsmouth.

In an overview, the paper reports on how fluoroquinolone is used globally and provides a framework for regulatory agencies to address reports of serious side effects.

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Dr Baldock added: ‘As adverse reactions can be diverse and underreported, one of the challenges is identifying the number of serious adverse events there are, or have been.

‘So many patients who report chronic fatigue, pain or psychiatric problems either remain undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, often with things like chronic fatigue syndrome.

‘If regulatory bodies can resolve this issue, it could lead to more robust and universal safety data.’

The authors recommend manufacturers should sponsor research to identify what causes a patient to suffer serious side effects after taking fluoroquinolones.

Dr Cecilia Bove, from the Department of Biological Sciences at York College of Pennsylvania, added: ‘What we need is a strategy to mitigate these risks.

‘With this information, we can determine strategies to mitigate the symptoms, and provide more data against the over-prescription of these drugs. That way we can continue to use fluoroquinolones and benefit from their bacteria-fighting capabilities when other strategies are not sufficient.’