Andrew D. Mosholder, M.D., M.P.H., Justin Mathew, Pharm.D., John J. Alexander, M.D., M.P.H., Harry Smith, Ph.D., and Sumathi Nambiar, M.D., M.P.H.
N Engl J Med 2013; 368:1665-1668May 2, 2013DOI: 10.1056/NEJMp1302726
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In 2011, approximately 40.3 million people in the United States (roughly one eighth of the population) received an outpatient prescription for the macrolide azithromycin, according to IMS Health. During that year, we at the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reviewed the labels of azithromycin and other approved macrolide antibacterials in view of cardiovascular risks that had become evident from published studies and reports emerging through postmarketing surveillance. On the basis of its review, the FDA approved revisions to azithromycin product labels regarding risks of QT-interval prolongation and the associated ventricular arrhythmia torsades de pointes. The revised labels advise against using azithromycin in patients with known risk factors such as QT-interval prolongation, hypokalemia, hypomagnesemia, bradycardia, or use of certain antiarrhythmic agents, including class IA (e.g., quinidine and procainamide) and class III (e.g., dofetilide, amiodarone, and sotalol) — drugs that can prolong the QT interval. In March 2013, the FDA announced that azithromycin labels had been further revised to reflect the results of a clinical study showing that azithromycin can prolong the corrected QT interval./.../
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