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Most common side-effects are gastrointestinal, including diarrhea, nausea, abdominal pain and vomiting. Headache and disturbances in taste also occur. Less common side-effects include palpitations, blurred vision, and rashes. Prolonged QTc intervals may also be caused by telithromycin.

Rare but severe side effects reported in January 2006 involve damage to the liver. Three different incidents have been reported: one ending in death, one in a liver transplant and one case of drug-induced hepatitis..

In the United States the FDA's Office of Epidemiology and Surveillance identified 12 cases of acute liver failure, resulting in four deaths, and an additional 23 cases of acute, serious liver injury in patients taking telithromycin up to April 2006.[http://www.fda.gov/ohrms/dockets/AC/06/slides/2006-4266s1-01-07-FDA-Brinker.ppt]

Telithromycin has been known to cause false positive readings in drug screenings for cocaine and amphetamines.

By April 2008, independent analysis using FDA data has linked Ketek (Telithromycin) to 18 deaths and at least 134 cases of liver damage. Some researchers say the total may be far greater.[http://www.rd.com/national-interest/consumer-safety/fda-approves-harmful-antibiotic/article.html]


Adapted from the Wikipedia article Telithromycin, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki