Eleven people in north Alabama have suffered from a potentially deadly reaction after receiving a common antibiotic taken by millions.
Many doctors have decided to pause prescribing ceftriaxone, brand name Rocephin, while the cases are investigated.
Officials at the state’s department of health said the individuals had suffered from a serious allergic reaction, and had symptoms similar to those with an anaphylactic reaction, including hives erupting on the skin, peeling skin and difficulty breathing.
There are unverified reports on social media that one person has died and several are on ventilators. The Alabama health department did not respond to our repeated requests for comment.
A nurse who said she had knowledge of affected patients added on social media that the reactions happened within an hour of someone receiving the antibiotic, which is administered intravenously.
Officials have supplied hospitals with the batch numbers of the affected antibiotics, according to reports on social media, but some hospitals and clinics have said they will stop using ceftriaxone altogether out of an ‘abundance of caution’.
Ceftriaxone is commonly used in the US, prescribed for a range of conditions including respiratory tract infections, gonorrhea and sepsis.
Officials at the local department of health raised the alarm in a health alert, saying the patients had taken ceftriaxone, or Rocephin, before falling severely ill (stock image)
The drug is normally administered intravenously or via an injection once or twice a day, and is not available in pill form.
It is not clear what could have caused the allergic reactions, but this may be linked to an impurity in the drug that was accidentally added when it was manufactured.
Alerting doctors to the illnesses, the Alabama Department of Health said: ‘[The department] is asking [hospitals] to report potential adverse reactions through an established, confidential link.
‘While no causal link between ceftriaxone and these reactions has been established, at this time, ADPH will continue to act to promote and protect the health of the citizens of Alabama by investigating, responding, and updating information accordingly.’
In its alert, it also said that any antibiotic can trigger an allergic reaction.
The class of antibiotics ceftriaxone belongs to, cephalosporins, cause allergic reactions in between 0.5 and 2.5 percent of patients, according to studies.
It is also currently colds season, with more people suffering from pneumonia — caused by bacteria — or other complications.
Antibiotics are prescribed about 25 percent more in winter months than they are in the summer, according to studies.
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Writing on social media, a nurse said: ‘A spike in allergic reactions, even in people who have had it before nad have no previous allergy to it.
‘No links yet, but we’ve had it happen in [intramuscular] and [intravenous] route lately.
‘Most have occurred within an hour of administration. Age, patient history and comorbidity didn’t seem to match either.’
Alabama had a ‘moderate’ level of respiratory illness activity in the week to January 15, CDC surveillance showed.
