New Dangers with Off-Label Use of Quinine Exposed
What is Quinine?
Quinine is a substance that's been known to help patients with malaria. It's been prescribed for years for that purpose, but in recent years it's also been used for off-label purposes to aid patients with the prevention of leg cramps. Sales of these products has been brisk, but recent problems have been discovered in relation to the off-label use of quinine.
Quinine once used for Malaria.
Quinine grows naturally within the tree bark of cinchona trees, which are native to South America. Early South American tribes accidentally discovered that this bark helped people with malaria, which was a deadly disease at the time and continues to be so today without appropriate medication. European missionaries to the region learned of this substance and brought it to Europe in the 17th Century, and since then it's been a "mainstream" medication used to fight this disease.
Modern Problems with Quinine.
In recent years, quinine has beendiscovered to help patients with leg cramping problems. Doctors have begun to prescribe medications to patients for this purpose, and statistics are beginningto show that several serious side effects can result from the use of thissubstance.
Specifically, quinine has been shown to cause cardiac arrhythmias, thrombocytopenia (a decrease in blood platelets that can cause hemorrhage or clotting problems) and severe hypersensitivity reactions. A less-known problem with quinine is that it can present serious problems in regards to how it interacts with other drugs and medications. Hundreds of patients have suffered from any or all of these side effects, and nearly 100 people have died as a result of using quinine for off-label purposes.
FDA Warnings/Action for Quinine Use
In December of 2006, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) issued a press release stating that the agency had ordered the cessation of marketing medications containing quinine for off-label purposes due to growing concerns regarding serious side effects. The FDA has officially approved only one drug, Mutual Pharmaceutical Company, Inc.'s Qualaquin, to treat certain types of malaria. None of the other quinine-containing substances have been approved, and the press release stated that all market placement of quinine-containing drugs must cease within 60 days of the date of the press release.
What You Should Do Next
If you or someone you love has taken or is taking a substance containing quinine for leg cramps, you need to contact your doctor immediately so that he or she can move you towards a different medication. The next step you should take is to contact an experienced attorney to report these side effects and to learn about your legal rights.
Other Defective Drug Topics
- Accutane
- ACE Inhibitors
- Ambien
- Anesthetic Creams
- Aranesp
- Aredia
- Avandia
- Bayer Diabetes Care Contour Test Strips
- Botox
- Carbamazepine
- Cefepime
- Celebrex
- Cialis
- Children's Cough and Cold Medication
- Colchicine
- Crestor
- Cytotec
- Depakote
- Dietary Supplements
- Dostinex
- Ephedra
- Epogen
- Femara
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