Investigations

Cipro weakens tendons which, in rare cases, can rupture under physical stress and require surgery and months of rehabilitation. Tendons subjected to heavy stress, such as the Achilles' tendon, shoulder rotator cuff, and tendons supporting the knee and attached to the quadriceps, are most at risk of tendon ruptures. In addition, runners, weight-lifters, and any athletes or workers who put a lot of pressure and strain on their joints, face an increased risk of suffering from tendon ruptures when taking Cipro.

Typically, tendon ruptures occur near the end of 7 or 14 day courses of Cipro treatment, but tendon ruptures may also occur after Cipro treatment has been completed. Bayer, the German company that manufacturers Cipro, argues that Cipro is safe because, of the more than 100 million Cipro prescriptions written in the U.S. between 1989 and 1999, only 100 cases of tendon ruptures were reported in medical journals. However, the incidence of tendon ruptures in Cipro patients taking a 60-day dosage has not yet been studied.

Cipro Tendon Rupture Black Box Warning

In 2005, the Illinois Attorney General and a consumer advocacy group called Public Citizen petitioned the FDA to place a black box warning regarding the risk of tendon ruptures on the Cipro label. According to the director of Public Citizen’s Health Research Group, tendon ruptures linked to antibiotics, like Cipro, continue to occur at a disturbing rate. Many tendon ruptures could be prevented, however, if doctors and patients were aware of the early warning signs associated with tendon ruptures.

Cipro is only one of many antibiotics that Public Citizen contends should display a black box warning regarding tendon ruptures. Other antibiotics that may put patients at risk of tendon ruptures include: 

• Penetrex (Enoxacin, made by Aventis)
• Tequin (Gatifloxacin, made by Bristol-Myers Squibb)
• Levaquin (Levofloxacin, made by Ortho-McNeil)
• Maxaquin (Lomefloxacin, made by Unimed)
• Avelox (Moxifloxacin, made by Bayer)
• Noroxin (Norfloxacin, made by Merck)
• Floxin (Ofloxacin, made by Daiichi-Sankyo)

In January 2008, Public Citizen filed a lawsuit against the FDA in an attempt to compel the agency to order Cipro’s maker to include a warning on the Cipro label regarding the risk of tendon ruptures and other tendon injuries. Finally, in July 2008, the FDA issued a health alert notifying the manufacturers of certain antibiotics, including Cipro’s maker, of the need to add a boxed warning to the prescribing information about the increased risk of developing tendinitis and tendon rupture in patients taking fluoroquinolones.

Injured by Cipro?

If you or a loved one took Cipro and experienced a serious side effect, such as a tendon rupture, contact us today as you may be entitled to compensation for your injuries.

• Bernstein Liebhard is no longer accepting Cipro cases.