Evaluation of the Quality of Amiodarone with Macrolides and Fluoroquinolones Drug-Drug Interactions Reported in the Literature

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the quality of evidence in the literature reporting the potential effect of QT prolongation and cardiovascular interactions of amiodarone with fluoroquinolones and macrolides. Methods: A thorough database search was conducted utilizing PubMed, Embase, Micromedex, and Facts and Comparison. Studies were eligible if they involved human subjects, original submission in English, and focusing on any drugs within the macrolide class along with amiodarone or any drugs within the fluoroquinolone class along with amiodarone was included. Drug-drug interactions (DDI) within the literature were evaluated using one of two tools: (1) van Roon to assess the quality of randomized controlled studies, and (2) the Drug Interaction Probability Scale (DIPS) to assess case reports. Results: Five case reports were included for evaluation. None of the patients within the case reports were less than 65 years old. Four of the five case reports included ciprofloxacin as part of the proposed drug interaction with amiodarone. The range of DIPS scores were 4-7 with a median score of 6. Conclusions: The evidence purporting this drug-drug interaction is of poor quality and low quantity. Additional studies of high quality must be conducted on the subject of this DDI to provide clinicians the ability to make more informed clinical decisions.