Pharmacologic characteristics of prulifloxacin.

Prulifloxacin, the prodrug of ulifloxacin, is a broad-spectrum oral fluoroquinolone antibacterial agent. After absorption, prulifloxacin is metabolized by esterases to ulifloxacin. The drug has a long elimination half-life, allowing once-daily administration. In vitro, ulifloxacin is generally more active than other fluoroquinolones against a variety of clinical isolates of Gram-negative bacteria, including community and nosocomial isolates of Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Proteus, Providencia and Morganella spp., Moraxella catarrhalis, Haemophilus spp., and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Gram-positive organisms, including methicillin- or oxacillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus spp. and Streptococcus pneumoniae, are susceptible to ulifloxacin. In well-designed clinical trials, prulifloxacin showed good clinical and bacteriological efficacy (similar to that of ciprofloxacin) and was generally well tolerated, demonstrating a similar tolerability profile to that of ciprofloxacin. In conclusion, the in vitro inhibitory and bactericidal activities exhibited by ulifloxacin and the favorable characteristics shown by its prodrug (prulifloxacin) in clinical trials, particularly indicate this drug for the treatment of lung and urinary infections.