Levofloxacin

At Levofloxacin is an antibiotic drug that was launched on the market in 1992, initially in Japan and in the following years in Europe and the USA. The substance achieves its effect by inhibiting the enzyme gyrase, which comes from infectious bacteria. Levofloxacin is used in preparations to fight bacterial infections of the gastrointestinal tract, the respiratory tract and the ear, nose and throat area.

What is levofloxacin?

The active ingredient levofloxacin is assigned to the fluoroquinolone group, which also includes the closely related active ingredient ofloxacin. Also part of this group of antibiotics are moxifloxacin and ciprofloxacin.

Levofloxacin was first approved as a drug in Japan in 1992. Further approvals followed in 1996 in the USA and then in Germany (1998). Levofloxacin is used as an antibiotic to treat bacterial infections that have infected the gastrointestinal tract, prostate, respiratory tract or ear, nose and throat area.

The drug achieves its effectiveness by inhibiting the enzyme gyrase, which comes from the DNA of the infectious bacteria. Levofloxacin is described in chemistry with the empirical formula C 18 - H 20 - F - N 3 - O 4 and has a moral mass of 361.37 g / mol. The slightly yellowish powder is usually administered as a film-coated tablet and taken orally. It is also available as a solution for infusion.

Pharmacological effect

Levofloxacin's mechanism of action is bactericidal. This means that the drug kills bacteria. The pharmacological effect on the targeted bacterium occurs typically for representatives of the fluoroquinolones through an inhibition of the enzyme gyrase. This inhibits the spatial orientation of DNA molecules and is of immense importance for the viability of a bacterium, as it is responsible for the so-called DNA supercoiling of a bacterium.

It is reported in the medical literature that levofloxacin is particularly effective against the bacteria Moraxella catarrhalis and Haemophilus influenzae, which cause various infections of the respiratory tract. Chlamydia and pneumococci are also very sensitive to levofloxacin, so that the pharmacological effect is extremely high.

Long-term use of levofloxacin should be avoided if possible, as the active ingredient can also put a strain on human organs over the long term.

Medical application & use

Levofloxacin is incorporated into broad spectrum and reserve antibiotics. It is prescribed to treat mild to moderate bacterial infections in adults, if these are caused by bacteria sensitive to levofloxacin. These include u. a .: Complicated urinary tract infections, inflammation of the respiratory tract such as bronchitis or pneumonia (pneumonia), inflammation of the sinuses (acute bacterial sinusitis), infections of the skin and subcutaneous tissue (soft tissue), including the muscles, and ultimately long-term infections of the Prostate (prostate gland).

The area of ​​application of levofloxacin thus largely corresponds to that of the closely related active ingredient ofloxacin. The applicability in the case of inflammation of the lungs (pneumonia) results from the fact that the drug levofloxacin has a higher antibacterial effect than ofloxacin.

Levofloxacin is usually given as a film-coated tablet and taken orally. Treatment with an infusion solution may also be indicated, particularly in the case of more severe illnesses.

Risks & side effects

Like all antibiotics, levofloxacin can cause side effects. However, these do not occur with all treatments. Before taking it for the first time, check whether there is any intolerance. In this case, levofloxacin should not be administered. This is also the case if you are known to have an allergy to other quinolo antibiotics (e.g. ofloxacin, moxifloxacin or ciprofloxacin), if you have epilepsy, or if you have already had tendon complications during treatment with quinolo antibiotics (e.g. Tendinitis), you are known to be pregnant or breast-fed. As a rule, children and adolescents are not treated either.

In medical studies, the following undesirable side effects have been linked to treatment with levofloxacin:

• Uncommon (affects less than 1 in 100 people): itching and rash, upset stomach or digestive disorders, loss of appetite, general feeling of weakness, changes in the number of white blood cells in the blood, headache, nervousness, sleep problems, dizziness and sleepiness.
• Rarely (less than 1 in 1,000 people treated): Tingling in the hands and feet without an adequate external cause (paresthesia), tremors, anxiety, feelings of restlessness and stress, depression, increased heart rate, breathing problems or wheezing (bronchospasm ) or shortness of breath (dyspnoea).
• Very rare (affects less than 1 in 10,000 people): drop in blood sugar level (hypoglycaemia), impaired hearing or vision, increased sensitivity to light, disorders of the sense of smell and taste, cardiac arrest, fever and a persistent feeling of illness.