Patients should consult before stopping Pfizer drug-FDA

(Reuters) – U.S. health regulators said patients should not stop taking Pfizer Inc‘s Zithromax antibiotic without consulting a doctor, after a study showed a slightly higher rate of death among patients taking the drug compared to those on other antibiotics.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it was aware of the study, which was published in the New England Journal of Medicine, comparing Zithromax to Bayer’s Cipro and Johnson Johnson‘s Levaquin.

Pfizer’s antibiotic showed a slightly higher rate of death due to heart complications.

The FDA noted that Zithromax belonged to a different class of drugs, compared with Cipro and Levaquin.

Pfizer’s shares were nearly flat at $22.63 on Thursday on the New York Stock Exchange.

(Reporting by Vidya P L Nathan in Bangalore)

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Leave a Reply

Powered by WordPress | Designed by: Premium WordPress Themes | Thanks to Themes Gallery, Bromoney and Wordpress Themes