From: "Theodore J. Richter" <theodorejrichter@gmail.com>
Subject: Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome
Date: March 16, 2015 at 9:37:10 AM CDT
To: Group Health Cooperative <member_services@ghcscw.com>
Dear Member Services Team,
Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome is an urgent and emerging issue that has affected over 45,000 people. This syndrome permanently damages and kills people. The medical professionals of Group Health Cooperative need to be aware of the dangers. Considering the urgency of this issue, please forward this email to the following people:
Kenneth N. Machtan, Mary R. Wright, Carol Winkler, James Driscoll, Patricia J. Gadow, Dr. Christian Kastman, Michael E. Mullee, Henry Sanders, Thomas P. Schomisch, Donna Twining, Kevin R. Hayden, Mark Dalebroux, Nancy Hagan, Dr. Jeff Huebner, Dr. Mark Huth, Dr. Chris Kastman, Dr. Robert Matthew, Bruce Quade, Al Wearing, Jeanan Yasiri Moe, Norma Briggs, Cassandra Dolejs, Karen Endres, Cindy Hamburg, Sara Ishado, Mona Johnson, Paul Ketterer, Lisa Lanting, Richard Lenz, Susan Levine, Beatriz Mairena-Kellman, Maria Monita Manalo, James Neustadt, Christine Odt, Jean Papalia, Thomas Walsh, Stephen Watkins, Dr. Alison Craig, Dr. Palm Heilman, Dr. Stephen Lo, Allison Philipps NP, Dr. Kristin Seaborg, Megan Weimer APNP, Dr. Alison Craig, Dr. Palm Heilman, Dr. Stephen Lo, Dr. Kristin Seaborg, Allison Philipps NP, Megan Weimer APNP, Dr. Monica Vohmann, the doctors of Group Health Cooperative, Paul Baum, the pharmacists of Group Health Cooperative, Ghadeer Alafifi, and Brenda Milbrath MS, PT, OCS.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Theodore J. Richter
Subject: Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome
Dear Medical Professionals of Group Health Cooperative,
This letter is in reference to Fluoroquinolones, a medication Group Health Cooperative currently prescribes to treat bacteria infections. Despite the inadequacies of the MedWatch system, (1, 11) over 45,000 people have reported side effects, (5) many of them severe and long lasting. These severe side effects are called Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome, a syndrome Group Health Cooperative needs to be aware of. Dr. Jay Cohen, Dr. Charles Bennett, Dr. David Flockhart, and Dr. Todd Plumb have acknowledged the dangers of Fluoroquinolone Toxicity. (2, 3, 4, 18)
Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome is an urgent and growing concern. Recently, there have been many news segments regarding this issue. (6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15) Dr. Charles Bennett of the Center for Medication Safety and Efficacy has filed a Citizen Petition to add warnings for possible mitochondrial toxicity, Parkinson's, Alzheimer's, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to the labeling of Fluoroquinolones. (18) Please see the news segments below:
Certain Antibiotics Spur Widening Reports of Severe Side Effects
PBS NewsHour, June 16, 2011.
Link
Local Woman Says Popular Antibiotic Killed Her Husband
WSB-TV 2 News, Atlanta, Georgia, Atlanta, February 3, 2015.
Link
Southland Firefighter Says Popular Antibiotic Poisoned His Body, His Life
CBS Los Angeles, California, March 4, 2015.
Link
FDA Evaluates Popular Antibiotic That Patients Say Makes Them Sicker
KCTV 5, Kansas City, February 22, 2015.
Link
In May of 2014, there was a demonstration in Washington DC regarding Fluoroquinolones. By coincidence my doctor, Dr. Monica Vohmann, was in Washington and witnessed this demonstration. People are angry and fed up by the lack of concern from the medical system. This demonstration was followed by a presentation by Dr. Joseph King, a toxicologist, on the dangers of Fluoroquinolones before the Senate Committee on Health, Education & Labor. Dr. Vohmann has a copy of this presentation.
Dr. Jay Cohen also presented a letter to the committee stating, "As of February 2014, approximately 45,000 individual cases of fluoroquinolone toxicity have been reported to the FDA. And, as studies have proven, the FDA receives reports of only 1%-5% of the actual numbers of adverse reactions that occur…These drugs were designed to injure the genetic structure of bacteria and thereby kill them, and they are very efficient in doing so. However, testing was never performed to ensure that FQs (fluoroquinolones) did not also injure human DNA." (5)
I am Group Health Cooperative member and Fluoroquinolone survivor. I request the medical professionals of the Cooperative inform themselves of the mechanism of action of Fluoroquinolones (chemotherapeutic DNA damage) and the associated risks. I request patients be educated according to their rights of informed consent. Specific "chemotherapeutic drug" language should be used verbally and in writing, not just the term "antibiotic," which implies a mechanism of action similar to Penicillin. Patients should be informed of all severe/permanent side effects including permanent nerve damage and a delay up to several months for tendon rupture. (16, 17) Patients should be informed of Dr. Charles Bennett's Citizen Petition for possible mitochondria toxicity. (18) Furthermore, patients should be informed if they experience a side effect, Group Health Cooperative offers no hard science test to identify Fluoroquinolone damage or hard science treatment to directly heal that damage.
I would like to expand on the statement Dr. Cohen made above with a question: What testing has been performed to insure Fluoroquinolones do not damage human reproductive DNA and cause birth defects?
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Theodore J. Richter
Footnotes
1. FDA Science Board Subcommittee: Review of the FDA/CDER Pharmacovigilance Program, Prepared for the FDA Science Board, May 2011, page16. "There was nearly universal agreement that the current AERS data base and IT infra- structure for capturing and evaluating potential AE signals is outdated and inadequate to the tasks of OSE and FDA…"
Link
2. Dr. Jay Cohen, An Open Letter To Congressman Holt on Severe, Disabling Reactions Linked to Cipro, Levaquin, and Other Fluoroquinolone Antibiotics.
Link
3. Parker-Pope, Wall Street Journal, Surge in Use of Cipro Spurs Concerns About Side Effects, October 26, 2001.
Link
4. Dr. Todd Plumb, Dixie Regional Medical Center, Dear Doctor Letter.
Link
5. Dr. Jay Cohen, Fluoroquinolone Toxicity Syndrome: A Letter to the Senate Committee on Health, Education & Labor, May 9, 2014.
Link
6. CBS News, Miami Florida, Powerful Antibiotic Could Be A Prescription For Danger Pt. II, February 24, 2015.
Link
7. The Arizona Republic, Critics Demand Stronger Warnings For potent Antibiotics, November 4, 2014.
Link
8. WSB-TV 2 News, Atlanta, Georgia, Woman Says Popular Antibiotic Levofloxacin Killed Her Husband, February 5, 2015.
Link
9. WSB-TV 2 News, Atlanta, Georgia, Patients Suffer Devastating Side Effects From Popular Antibiotic, February 3, 2015.
Link
10. KOBI-TV NBC5 and KOTI-TV NBC2 Klamath Falls, Closer Look At Levaquin - Drug Suspected In Tavern Owner's Grave Illness, March 15 2013.
Link
11. PBS NewsHour, Certain Antibiotics Spur Widening Reports of Severe Side Effects, June 16, 2011.
Link
12. WSB-TV 2 News, Atlanta, Georgia, Atlanta, Local Woman Says Popular Antibiotic Killed Her Husband, February 3, 2015.
Link
13. CBS Los Angeles, California, Southland Firefighter Says Popular Antibiotic Poisoned His Body, His Life, March 4, 2015.
Link
14. KCTV 5, Kansas City, FDA Evaluates Popular Antibiotic That Patients Say Makes Them Sicker, February 22, 2015.
Link
15. Jane E. Brody, The New York Times, WELL; A Cure That Can Be Worse Than the Illness, September 11, 2012.
Link
16. FDA Drug Safety Communication: FDA requires label changes to warn of risk for possibly permanent nerve damage from antibacterial fluoroquinolone drugs taken by mouth or by injection, August 15, 2013.
Link
17. Cipro (ciprofloxacin hydrochloride) Tablets and Cipro (ciprofloxacin) oral suspension, July, 2013, page 10.
Link
18. Dr. Charles Bennett and Southern Network on Adverse Reactions (SONAR), Citizen Petition, June 18, 2014.
Link |
