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Gwinnett woman to testify about controversial antibiotic

PEACHTREE CORNERS, Ga. — An FDA panel will weigh in on the risks of a controversial antibiotic that was first exposed in an ongoing Channel 2 Action News investigation.
 
Channel 2 consumer investigator Jim Strickland revealed earlier this year the side effects of fluoroquinolone antibiotics
 
One of them, Levofloxacin, is blamed for killing a Gwinnett County man. 
 
A woman from Peachtree Corners plans to testify at the FDA hearing Thursday in Washington, D.C.

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"I was poisoned. That's how I feel. There's no other word to describe what happened to me other than poisoning," said Nicole Delaine.
 
Delaine, formerly an avid runner, found in April 2014 that she could not walk. A pharmacy clinic prescribed Levofloxacin for a sinus infection. Delaine said she took only three pills.  
 
"Using a fluoroquinolone for a sinus infection is like using an atomic bomb to kill a fly," Delaine said.

The FDA panel on Thursday could recommend action to limit the use of the pills for such common illnesses.
 
The FDA has dubbed the series of side effects FQAD, or fluoroquinolone-associated disability.
 
The company that created Levofloxacin told the FDA this month that the drug "continues to maintain a positive benefit-risk profile for the treatment of infections when used appropriately according to the product labeling."
 
Delaine is unconvinced.           
 
"I wear three bracelets that say 'No fluoroquinolones,' because I'm terrified of that and I think it will kill me if I'm exposed to it again," she said.