Treatment of nongonococcal urethritis: comparison of ofloxacin and erythromycin.

Ofloxacin, a new quinolone carboxylic acid derivative, has been reported to be effective and safe in the treatment of nongonococcal urethritis (NGU). In the present investigation 188 male outpatients with NGU were randomized to double-blind treatment with either erythromycin (500 mg twice a day) or ofloxacin (200 mg twice a day) for seven days. Before therapy Chlamydia trachomatis was isolated from 43.6% of the patients. One relapse and one reinfection occurred in the erythromycin-treated group, whereas all patients in the group given ofloxacin were culture-negative at follow-up. Among the C. trachomatis-positive group of patients, the clinical efficacy of ofloxacin was 83.7%, and that of erythromycin, 77.4% at the final follow-up. In the C. trachomatis-negative group, the efficacy of ofloxacin was 93%, and that of erythromycin, 84.3%. The differences are not significant. No serious adverse effects were demonstrated. The results indicate that ofloxacin might be a valuable alternative for the treatment of NGU in men.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes