Levofloxacin The 3rd Generation Fluoroquinolone Antibiotic - Information & Side Effects
Thursday, June 26th, 2008Levofloxacin is a highly efficient and trusted 3rd generation fluoroquinolone antibiotic. It is the optically active L-isomer of ofloxacin. Its antimicrobial activity is almost 10 times greater than that of the corresponding D-isomer. This antibiotic has been developed to take advantage of anti bacterial potency while requiring only about half the usual dose of ofloxacin to achieve similar efficacy, but potentially with an improved toxicity profile.
Levofloxacin is twice as potent as ofloxacin against various micro-organism including M. tuberculosis, Pneumococci & organism causing atypical pneumonia. This means that bacterial species, which have borderline susceptibility to ofloxacin are considerably more sensitive to Levofloxacin. Levofloxacin is currently the only respiratory fluoroquinolone approved by the U.S. FDA for the treatment of nosocomial pneumonia.
Levofloxacin is effective against a number of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Levofloxacin works by inhibiting DNA gyrase, an enzyme that negatively supercoils DNA. Because of its broad spectrum of action, levofloxacin is frequently prescribed empirically for a wide range of infections (e.g.pneumonia, urinary tract infection) before the specific causal organism is known.
Levofloxacin is rapidly and essentially completely absorbed after oral administration. It is excreted largely as unchanged in urine. Oral administration with food slightly prolongs the time to peak concentration and therefore can be administrated without regard to food .
Levofloxacin is widely prescribed for respiratory tract infections, complicated and uncomplicated urinary tract infections, complicated and uncomplicated skin and skin structure infections, MDR-TB, nosocomial and community acquired pneumonia. The usual dosage is 500mg orally every 24 hours taken during meals or between meals.
