Efficacy and safety of high dose intravenous ciprofloxacin in the treatment of bacterial pneumonia. Italian Ciprofloxacin Study Group.

One hundred and fifty three hospitalized patients were enrolled in an open, prospective, multi-center study on the efficacy and safety of intravenous ciprofloxacin (400 mg i.v., b.i.d.) for acute bacterial pneumonia: 93 (63%) patients were valid for efficacy out of 148 valid for intention-to-treat analysis. The most commonly isolated organisms from 93 valid-for-efficacy patients were Pseudomonas aeruginosa (17%), Haemophilus influenzae and parainfluenzae (17%), Streptococcus aureus (14%) and Streptococcus pneumoniae (11%). Cure was achieved in 89/93 (95.7%) valid-for-efficacy patients; effective eradications were obtained in 42 (45%) and presumed eradications in 48 (52%) of the 93 patients. Mild or moderate adverse events (AE) occurred in 13/153 (8.5%) patients assessable for safety; all but one AE were rapidly reversible and only one treatment-stop (0.65%) was decided. The treatment of acute bacterial pneumonias with high-dose parenteral ciprofloxacin appears to be efficacious and well tolerated.