Lincomycin Safety Profile in Post-marketing Surveillance: A Comprehensive Review of Global Pharmacovigilance Data

Abstract:

Lincomycin belongs to the class of lincosamide antibiotics, which have been used for more than 5 decades. Primarily indicated for serious bacterial infections caused by Gram-positive microorganisms and anaerobic bacteria, the use of this drug has declined in some areas due to the emergence of new antibiotics. However, Lincomycin still plays an important role in certain situations, including for patients with severe infections in the hospital setting or those allergic to penicillin. The risk-benefit ratio of Lincomycin has been assessed in various preclinical and clinical trials. However, these studies lacked the sensitivity to determine rare adverse events. The orderly review included searches of pharmacovigilance databases, such as WHO VigiBase, FDA FAERS, and EU EudraVigilance, as well as scientific literature databases, including PubMed. The relevant studies, which were human-based and concerned with adverse effects associated with Lincomycin, were included in this narrative review. In contrast, animal research and studies on the efficacy of Lincomycin were omitted during the review of sources. The literature search included publications and publicly available pharmacovigilance records from the inception of each database through 2025.