The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Monday it has issued revised usage and labeling of the antibiotic drug Ketek (generic name: telithromycin), manufactured by Sanoti-Adventis.

One of the major changes will be that two of the three previously approved usages of the Ketek will no longer apply. Ketek will no longer be prescribed for acute bacterial sinusitis and acute bacterial exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. These indications (or treatment for these illnesses) will be removed from the drug labels

Antibiotics could be useful in the treatment of asthma, the latest research reveals hopes for the condition that affects 5.2 million people in the UK and has no cure.

An international study of 278 patients suggests an antibiotic, Telithromycin, can reduce symptoms of asthma and improve lung function. Recovery times from acute attacks were also reduced by the drug, which is used to treat sinusitis, the New England Journal of Medicine study said

Federal regulators said Friday they are reviewing the effects of a novel antibiotic that has resulted in three cases of severe liver problems, including one that has resulted in death. They are looking at a number of U.S. cases involving the drug and are also consulting with regulators overseas.

A patient at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, N.C. died after taking Ketek (generic name: telithromycin), according to the Associated Press. Ketek is an FDA-approved antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections from bronchitis to pneumonia