title: Once-daily oral gatifloxacin versus oral levofloxacin in treatment of uncomplicated skin and soft tissue infections: double-blind, multicenter, randomized study.
abstract: This was a double-blind, multicenter study in which 410 adults (> or =18 years of age) with uncomplicated skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) were randomized to receive either 400 mg of gatifloxacin orally once daily or 500 mg of levofloxacin orally once daily for 7 to 10 days. The study protocol called for four assessments-before and during treatment, at the end of treatment, and posttreatment. Efficacy evaluations included clinical response and bacterial eradication rates. Of 407 treated patients, 202 (108 women, 94 men) received gatifloxacin and 205 (111 women, 94 men) received levofloxacin. For clinically evaluable patients, the cure rates were 91% for gatifloxacin and 84% for levofloxacin (95% confidence interval [CI] for the difference, -2.0 to 15.2%). Clinical cure rates for microbiologically evaluable patients were 93% for gatifloxacin and 88% for levofloxacin (95% CI for the difference, -6.5 to 16.8%). The bacterial eradication rate was 92% for each group, with gatifloxacin eradicating 93% of the methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus isolates and levofloxacin eradicating 91% of them. Both drugs were well tolerated. Most of the adverse events were mild to moderate, and nausea was the most common adverse event in each treatment arm. Once-daily oral gatifloxacin (400 mg) is clinically efficacious and well tolerated compared with once-daily levofloxacin (500 mg) for the treatment of patients with uncomplicated SSTIs.
authors.affiliation: Express Care Plus, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80909, USA. gtarshis@aol.com
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Tarshis
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Miskin
authors.forename: T M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Champlin
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Wingert
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Breen
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Brown
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D024841:Fluoroquinolones; D000077734:Gatifloxacin; D006801:Humans; D064704:Levofloxacin; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015242:Ofloxacin / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017192:Skin Diseases, Bacterial / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D018461:Soft Tissue Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D013211:Staphylococcus aureus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000302:isolation & purification; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D024841:Fluoroquinolones; D064704:Levofloxacin; D015242:Ofloxacin; D000077734:Gatifloxacin