Ketek's Use Should Be Restricted, FDA Panel Advises

An FDA advisory panel recommended that the antibiotic Ketek (telithromycin) should no longer be prescribed for patients with sinusitis or bronchitis, and that it should be used only as second-line treatment for pneumonia, the New York Times reports.

The panel also recommended that Ketek carry a black box warning about the risk for liver failure, visual problems, loss of consciousness, and aggravation of myasthenia gravis.