More Problems for Ketek

Ricky Bagolie

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Ketek (telithromycin) is a ketolide-class antibiotic manufactured by Sanofi-Aventis. Approved by the FDA in April 2004, the drug has been prescribed over five million times for the treatment of bacterial sinusitis, pneumonia, and chronic bronchitis. The drug has come under fire in recent months upon allegations of adverse Ketek side effects, which include liver damage, liver failure, and death. Other side effects include exacerbation of myasthenia gravis, an autoimmune disorder that causes progressive muscle weakening. A Congressional investigation is attempting to determine why the drug was approved even after a physician was convicted of fraud in clinical trials of Ketek.