Prulifloxacin: a new fluoroquinolone for the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis.

Empiric therapy with oral antibiotics is normal practice in the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis (AECB), but there is growing concern regarding efficacy of the currently available antimicrobials. Prulifloxacin, the lipophilic prodrug of ulifloxacin, is an oral fluoroquinolone antibacterial agent with a broad-spectrum in vitro activity against Gram-negative and -positive bacteria, and a long elimination half-life, which allows the once-daily administration. In addition, it penetrates extensively into lung tissues. Statistical analyses indicated a significant linear trend between the prulifloxacin 300, 450, and 600 mg doses, which would point to an interesting relationship between dose employed and response obtained. The 600 mg once-daily dose showed the best risk/benefit ratio, and was selected for use in the pivotal clinical trials. In well-designed clinical trials, prulifloxacin 600 mg administered once daily for 10 days in patients with AECB showed good clinical and bacteriological efficacy (similar to that of ciprofloxacin or co-amoxiclav). In particular, the clinical response rates were favourable in all clinical trials, with eradication rates in patients with pneumococcal infections at least as high as the comparators. It can be concluded that prulifloxacin 600 mg once daily is a new therapeutic prospect in the antimicrobial therapy of AECB. In particular, since good patient compliance is a key factor in the successful treatment of any infection, the once daily treatment with prulifloxacin may have some compliance advantages compared to the twice-daily treatment with agents such as ciprofloxacin or co-amoxiclav.