Vioxx Whistleblower Voices Concern over Ketek Antibiotic

The FDA employee known for voicing concerns about his agency's handling of Vioxx has raised similar red flags about the approval and continued marketing of the antibiotic Ketek.

In a letter to the editor published in the Nov. 23 issue of The New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. David Graham suggests that patients and healthcare providers reconsider the use of Ketek to treat respiratory infections because of data indicating that the drug poses a high risk of liver-related injuries.

Graham's letter was issued in response to a study touting the efficacy of Ketek in patients with acute asthma exacerbations, a …