an open investigation into the abnormal side effects of these antibiotics

The public health unit of the Paris prosecutor’s office opened an investigation into unintentional injuries and deception, after receiving around twenty complaints from users of fluoroquinolones. They say they have suffered “abnormal side effects”, confirms the Paris prosecutor’s office on Wednesday March 27 to franceinfo. These medications are a class of antibiotics that can be used in serious bacterial infections, and are marketed under different names: Oflocet, Ciflox or Tavanic.

In 2023, a patient association denounced on franceinfo “six million poisonings in France in four years” by fluoroquinolones, particularly due to excessive prescriptions during benign infections such as cystitis, otitis or sinusitis.

A study by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) confirmed, in 2023, that more than two thirds of prescriptions in France are made for indications not provided for by the recommendations. “Given the seriousness of some of these effects, such as damage to the nervous system, neuropsychiatric disorders, affection of the musculoskeletal system (pain and swelling in the joints, inflammation or even rupture of tendons, pain and/or weakness at the muscle level), and their long-lasting, disabling and potentially irreversible nature, the EMA reassessed the benefit/risk ratio of fluoroquinolones in 2018-2019. This reassessment led in particular to restricting their therapeutic indications and updating their job security profile.”