Statins safety warning with antibiotics
25th June 2013
The call follows the publication of a Canadian study showing that co-prescribing a statin metabolised by the enzyme CYP3A4 — such as atorvastatin or simvastatin — with macrolides clarithromycin or erythromycin doubled the risk of hospitalisation with rhabdomyolysis, compared with azithromycin.
The study of 145,000 patients found 30-day all-cause mortality was 50% higher in those taking statins and clarithromycin or erythromycin, while acute kidney injury increased by 78%.
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