Clinical evaluation of ofloxacin in lower respiratory tract infections.

The clinical efficacy and the safety of ofloxacin in lower respiratory tract infections were evaluated by 42 research groups in Japan. 127 patients with bacterial pneumonia and 399 patients with chronic lower respiratory tract infection were analyzed for clinical efficacy. The drug was orally administered, mostly in daily doses of 300 mg to 600 mg for an average of 15 days. The therapeutic success rate was 80% in bacterial pneumonias and 78% in chronic lower respiratory tract infections. As for bacteriological response, eradication rates of 93% and 72%, respectively, were observed against isolates from bacterial pneumonias and chronic lower respiratory tract infections. Side effects mainly in the gastrointestinal tract and central nervous system were noted in 7.6% of 540 patients, but none of them was severe.