Floxacillin

• You may know this drug as: Floxapen®, Fluclox®, Sesamol®
• Why it's commonly used: This antibiotic is used to treat and prevent infections.
• Side effects: Severe liver toxicity, which can cause irreversible liver damage
• What you can do: Knowing your genetic risk of side effects allows you and your doctor to choose the right drugs for you, and opt for alternatives if needed.
• Did you know? Roughly nine out of 100,000 first-time floxacillin users experience drug-induced liver toxicity during the first 45 days of taking this drug.

Navigenics tests for a genetic variant shown to increase the odds of liver toxicity with floxacillin therapy, a variant called HLA-B*5701. Since many different types of antibiotics are available, knowing your genetic predisposition for floxacillin side effects allows you and your doctor to choose a different drug if you have a risk of side effects.