Bristol-Myers to stop sale, manufacture of antibiotic Tequin

Tuesday, May 02, 2006 10:01:17 AM ET
newratings.com

NEW YORK, MAY 2 (newratings.com) – Pharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb Co (BMY.NYS) Friday announced that it plans to stop manufacturing and selling its antibiotic, Tequin. The drug was approved in 1999.

Eric Miller, spokesman for Bristol-Myers Squibb, said that the company had decided to return the rights to the drug to Japan-based Kyorin Pharmaceutical. The decision was taken following questions regarding the drug’s impact on patients’ blood sugar. Following a directive from the US Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in February this year, Bristol-Myers Squibb had increased the warnings on the drug’s label to specify that it should not be used by patients suffering from diabetics. The label also mentioned that the drug could be harmful to the elderly and patients suffering from kidney problems.

Miller mentioned that the current stocks of the drug were, however, not being recalled while advising the users of the drug to consult their doctors regarding its discontinuation. Meanwhile a public interest group, Public Citizen, has sought a ban on the sale and manufacture of the drug, citing its relation to blood sugar irregularities in several patients.