Ophthalmic moxifloxacin (Vigamox) and gatifloxacin (Zymar). The Medical Letter 2004;46(1179):25-7.
Recent studies in The Medical Letter compared the cost and bacterial spectrum of older ophthalmic antibacterial agents with two new fluoroquinolone ophthalmic solutions: moxifloxacin and gatifloxacin. In 51 patients with culture-positive bacterial conjunctivitis, moxifloxacin 0.5% administered twice daily for 3 days was 93% effective, compared to placebo solutions, which had a 63% rate of efficacy. In a different and smaller study, the use of gatifloxacin 0.3% was 77% effective when used four to eight times daily for 5 days, compared to 58% benefit with placebo.
In general, fluoroquinolone eye-drops are well tolerated. Although fluoroquinolones cause cartilage damage in young animals and are generally not advised in children or pregnant women, serum concentrations of these drugs after ophthalmic use are low or undetectable. There have been no randomized clinical trials that compare these new fluoroquinolones with other agents. Moxifloxacin and gatifloxacin have better activity in the test tube against the most common ocular pathogens than earlier fluoroquinolones or other ophthalmic antimicrobials.