Washington, D.C. (AHN) The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issues an alert to the general public, warning consumers about findings from a study regarding the antibiotic Biaxin - made by Abbott Laboratories.

Issuing the notice on their Web site, the FDA says it has not reached a final conclusion in the study, but released the warning as part of a trend to advise consumers and patients as early as possible when potential problems with medications arise.

Officials at Abbott Laboratories said the results were a "random finding" and they contrast with years of research proving the drug's overall safety.

The study being cited by the FDA was published in the British Medical Journal. According to Reuters, of 4,373 Danish heart disease patients who took Biaxin, 9.8 percent died within three years. Comparatively, those patients who took the placebo had a death rate of 7.8 percent. There was no difference in the death rates until one year following therapy.

Researchers involved with the study say the results were surprising and the long-term safety of Biaxin should be studied further.

The FDA says the warning is a preliminary analysis and the agency has not yet reached a final decision regarding Biaxin.