Clarithromycin, QTc interval prolongation and torsades de pointes: The need to study case reports

Therapeutic Advances in Infectious Disease

Volumn 1, Issue 4, 2013, Pages 121-138

  Vieweg, W Victor R ^a   Hancox, Jules C ^b   Hasnain, Mehrul ^c   Koneru, Jayanthi N ^a   Gysel, Michael ^d   Baranchuk, Adrian ^d  

^a VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF BRISTOL   (United Kingdom)

^c MEMORIAL UNIVERSITY OF NEWFOUNDLAND   (Canada)

^d QUEEN S UNIVERSITY   (Canada)

Author keywords

Clarithromycin; drug induced QTc interval prolongation; risk factors; torsades de pointes

Indexed keywords

EID: 84993814797     PISSN: 20499361     EISSN: 2049937X     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1177/2049936113497203     Document Type: Article

References (51)

1. Abbott G. Sesti F. Splawski I. Buck M. Lehmann M. Timothy K. et al (1999) MiRP 1 forms IKR potassium channels with hERG and is associated with cardiac arrhythmia. Cell 97: 175–187.
2. Abbott Laboratories (2013) Biaxin® Filmtab® (Clarithromycin Tablets, USP), Biaxin® XL Filmtab® (Clarithromycin Extended-Release Tablets), Biaxin® Granules (Clarithromycin for Oral Suspension, Usp) Package Insert. Available at: http://www.rxabbvie.com/pdf/biapi.pdf.
3. Alesso, L., Colombo, H., Torre, M. and Herrera, R. (2009) Amiodarone/ciprofloxacin/clarithromycin interaction. Prolonged QT interval and ventricular tachycardia in an elderly patient: case report. Reactions Weekly 1272(Issue 1, October): 6–7.
4. Bednar M. Harrigan E. Anziano R. Camm A. Ruskin J. (2001) The QT interval. Prog Cardiovasc Dis 43(5 Suppl. 1): 1–45.
5. Bril F. Gonzalez C. Di Girolamo G. (2010) Antimicrobial agents-associated with QT interval prolongation. Curr Drug Safety 5: 85–92.
6. Buchanan Keller K. Lemberg L. (2008) “Torsade”. Am J Crit Care 17: 77–81.
7. Cetin M. Yildirimer M. Ozen S. Tanriverdi S. Coskun S. (2012) Clarithromycin-induced long QT syndrome: a case report. Case Rep Med 2012: 634652–634653.
8. Choudhury L. Grais I. Passman R. (1999) Torsades de pointes due to drug interaction between disopyramide and clarithromycin. Heart Disease (Hagerstown, MD) 1: 206–207.
9. Curtis L. Ostbye T. Sendersky V. Hutchison S. Allen Lapointe N. Al-Khatib S. et al (2003) Prescription of QT-prolonging drugs in a cohort of about 5 million outpatients. Am J Med 114: 135–141.
10. Diaz Garcia M. Morillas Blasco P. Andreu Rodriguez A. Bertomeu Martinez V. (2005) [EKG changes in a patient with respiratory infection]. Anales Medicina Interna 22: 351–352.
11. Duncan R. Ridley J. Dempsey C. Leishman D. Leaney J. Hancox J. et al (2006) Erythromycin block of the hERG K+ channel: accessibility to F 656 and Y652. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 341: 500–506.
12. Finlayson K. Witchel H. McCulloch J. Sharkey J. (2004) Acquired QT interval prolongation and hERG: implications for drug discovery and development. Eur J Pharmacol 500: 129–142.
13. Gintant G. (2008) Preclinical torsades-de-pointes screens: advantages and limitations of surrogate and direct approaches in evaluating proarrhythmic risk. Pharmacol Therapeut 119: 199–209.
14. Gluais P. Bastide M. Caron J. Adamantidis M. (2003) Comparative effects of clarithromycin on action potential and ionic currents from rabbit isolated atrial and ventricular myocytes. J Cardiovasc Pharmacol 41: 506–517.
15. Gray V. (1998) Syncopal episodes associated with cisapride and concurrent drugs. Ann Pharmacother 32: 648–651.
16. Hancox J. McPate M. El Harchi A. Zhang Y. (2008) The hERG potassium channel and hERG screening for drug-induced torsades de pointes. Pharmacol Therapeut 119: 118–132.
17. Hayashi Y. Ikeda U. Hashimoto T. Watanabe T. Mitsuhashi T. Shimada K. (1999) Torsades de pointes ventricular tachycardia induced by clarithromycin and disopyramide in the presence of hypokalemia. Pacing Clin Electrophysiol 22: 672–674.
18. Hensey C. Keane D. (2008) Clarithromycin induced torsade de pointes. Irish J Med Sci 177: 67–68.
19. Hondeghem L. Snyders D. (1990) Class III antiarrhythmic agents have a lot of potential but a long way to go. Reduced effectiveness and dangers of reverse use dependence. Circulation 81: 686–690.
20. Kamochi H. Nii T. Eguchi K. Mori T. Yamamoto A. Shimoda K. et al (1999) Clarithromycin associated with torsades de pointes. Japan Circulat J 63: 421–422.
21. Kogut, C., Crouse, E., Vieweg, W., Hasnain, M., Baranchuk, A., Digby, G. et al. (2013) SSRIs and torsade de pointes. New concepts and new directions derived from a systematic review of case reports. Ther Adv Drug Safety (in press).
22. Kundu S. Williams S. Nordt S. Clark R. (1997) Clarithromycin-induced ventricular tachycardia. Ann Emerg Med 30: 542–544.
23. Lai D. Brown G. MacDonald I. (1996) Clarithromycin-induced prolonged QT syndrome. Can J Hosp Pharm 49: 33–35.
24. Lee K. Jim M. Tang S. Tai Y. (1998) QT prolongation and torsades de pointes associated with clarithromycin. Am J Med 104: 395–396.
25. McConnell S. Amsden G. (1999) Review and comparison of advanced-generation macrolides clarithromycin and dirithromycin. Pharmacotherapy 19: 404–415.
26. Michael G. Dempster J. Kane K. Coker S. (2007) Potentiation of E-4031–induced torsade de pointes by HMR 1556 or ATX-II is not predicted by action potential short-term variability or triangulation. Br J Pharmacol 152: 1215–1227.
27. Milberg P. Eckardt L. Bruns H. Biertz J. Ramtin S. Reinsch N. et al (2002) Divergent proarrhythmic potential of macrolide antibiotics despite similar QT prolongation: fast phase 3 repolarization prevents early afterdepolarizations and torsade de pointes. J Pharmacol Exp Therapeut 303: 218–225.
28. Owens R. Jr Ambrose P. (2002) Torsades de pointes associated with fluoroquinolones. Pharmacotherapy 22: 663–668; discussion 668–672.
29. Paar D. Terjung B. Sauerbruch T. (1997) Life-threatening interaction between clarithromycin and disopyramide. Lancet 349: 326–327.
30. Piquette R. (1999) Torsade de pointes induced by cisapride / clarithromycin interaction. Ann Pharmacother 33: 22–26.
31. Raschi, E., Poluzzi, E., Koci, A., Moretti, U., Sturkenboom, M. and de Ponti, F. (2013) Macrolides and torsadogenic risk: emerging issues from the FDA Pharmacovigilance Database. J Pharmacovig. DOI: 10.4172/jp.1000104.
32. Sagir A. Schmitt M. Dilger K. Haussinger D. (2003) Inhibition of cytochrome P 450 3A: relevant drug interactions in gastroenterology. Digestion 68: 41–48.
33. Sauer A. Newton-Cheh C. (2012) Clinical and genetic determinants of torsade de pointes risk. Circulation 125: 1684–1694.
34. Schembri, S., Williamson, P., Short, P., Singanayagam, A., Akram, A., Taylor, J. et al. (2013) Cardiovascular events after clarithromycin use in lower respiratory tract infections: analysis of two prospective cohort studies. BMJ 346: f 1235 (1231–1211).
35. Schwartz P. Stramba-Badiale M. Crotti L. Pedrazzini M. Besana A. Bosi G. et al (2009) Prevalence of the congenital long-QT syndrome. Circulation 120: 1761–1767.
36. Sekkarie M. (1997) Torsades de pointes in two chronic renal failure patients treated with cisapride and clarithromycin. Am J Kidney Dis 30: 437–439.
37. Shah R. (2005) Drug-induced QT dispersion: does it predict the risk of torsade de pointes? J Electrocardiol 38: 10–18.
38. Stanat S. Carlton C. Crumb W. Jr Agrawal K. Clarkson C. (2003) Characterization of the inhibitory effects of erythromycin and clarithromycin on the hERG potassium channel. Mol Cell Biochem 254: 1–7.
39. Steeb W. (2011) The Nonlinear Workbook, 5th edn. World Scientific: Singapore.
40. Vallejo Camazon N. Rodriguez Pardo D. Sanchez Hidalgo A. Tornos Mas M. Ribera E. Soler Soler J. (2002) [Ventricular tachycardia and long QT associated with clarithromycin administration in a patient with HIV infection]. Rev Esp Cardiol 55: 878–881.
41. van Haarst A. van ‘T Klooster G. van Gerven J. Schoemaker R. van Oene J. Burggraaf J. et al (1998) The influence of cisapride and clarithromycin on QT intervals in healthy volunteers. Clin Pharmacol Therapeut 64: 542–546.
42. Vieweg, W., Hasnain, M., Howland, R., Clausen, T., Koneru, J., Kogut, C. et al. (2013 a) Methadone, QTc interval prolongation, and torsade de pointes. Case reports offer clinicians the best guidance for this problem. Ther Adv Psychopharmacol. DOI: 10.1177/2045125312469982.
43. Vieweg W. Hasnain M. Howland R. Hettema J. Kogut C. Wood M. et al (2012) Citalopram, QTc interval prolongation, and torsade de pointes. How should we apply the recent FDA ruling? Am J Med 125: 859–868.
44. Vieweg, W., Hasnain, M., Howland, R., Kogut, C., Crouse, E., Koneru, J. et al. (2013 b) Quetiapine and the need for a thorough QT / QTc study. J Clin Psychopharmacol (in press).
45. Viskin S. Justo D. Halkin A. Zeltser D. (2003) Long QT syndrome caused by noncardiac drugs. Prog Cardiovasc Dis 45: 415–427.
46. Volberg W. Koci B. Su W. Lin J. Zhou J. (2002) Blockade of human cardiac potassium channel human ether-a-go-go-related gene (hERG) by macrolide antibiotics. J Pharmacol Exp Therapeut 302: 320–327.
47. Wasmer K. Hindricks G. Kottkamp H. (1999) Clarithromycin associated syncope as first manifestation of a congenital long QT-syndrome. Intensivmed Notfallmed 36: 534–540.
48. Witchel H. Hancox J. Nutt D. (2003) Psychotropic drugs, cardiac arrhythmia, and sudden death. J Clin Psychopharmacol 23: 58–77.
49. Zareba W. Lin D. (2003) Antipsychotic drugs and QT interval prolongation. Psych Q 74: 291–306.
50. Zeltser D. Justo D. Halkin A. Prokhorov V. Heller K. Viskin S. (2003) Torsade de pointes due to noncardiac drugs. Most patients have easily identifiable risk factors. Medicine 82: 282–290.
51. Zuckerman J. (2004) Macrolides and ketolides: azithromycin, clarithromycin, telithromycin. Infect Dis Clin N Am 18: 621–649.