Norfloxacin in the treatment of complicated and uncomplicated urinary tract infections. A comparative multicenter trial.

In a multicenter, prospective treatment study, 59 patients with complicated or uncomplicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) were treated with norfloxacin (400 mg orally twice daily) and compared with 45 patients treated with trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole. Norfloxacin was relatively safe and highly effective in treating both uncomplicated UTIs (86 percent cure rate) and complicated UTIs (75 percent cure rate). Failure of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole therapy was associated with initial bacterial resistance, e.g., from Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Serratia marcescens; such multiresistant bacteria were successfully treated with norfloxacin. Thus, norfloxacin appears to extend the range of oral agents available to treat UTIs.