A review of clinical trials with fluoroquinolones with an emphasis on new agents.

This review aims to provide a comparison between the antimicrobial spectra, pharmacokinetics and clinical efficacy of the newer fluoroquinolones with older agents in this class, as well as other antibiotics used to treat lower respiratory and urinary tract infections (LRTIs and UTIs) respectively. Increasing antimicrobial resistance among common uro- and respiratory pathogens has focused attention on the development of fluoroquinolones, which have a broad spectrum of activity and improved tissue penetration. The new and developmental quinolones can be administered on a once-daily basis and exhibit high oral bioavailability, which reduces the need for parenteral therapy in hospitalised patients and may therefore potentially reduce the need for hospitalisation. These attributes, coupled with their expanded spectrum suggest that the newer fluoroquinolones are so far the most ideal agents for the empirical treatment of many common infections.