Levofloxacin is a unique molecule because it needs to be administered just once a day and is almost completely absorbed from the digestive tract and hence the same dose can be administered orally or by injection. This makes its easier for hospitalised patients to continue treatment with the same drug at home.

HMR vice-president, marketing, Dr S Bhattacharya, said, "The search for newer anti-bacterials in the treatment of respiratory infections have fallen either at the hurdle of efficacy or safety. Penicillin and cephalosporins are safe but lack the efficacy on atypical bacteria that are becoming increasingly dominant. Other drugs, effective in respiratory infections, have proved to be too toxic for routine use. It is here that levofloxacin scores over other options. It has a well-documented safety profile together with demonstrated efficacy in respiratory infections".

Tavanic, a company press release said, is one of the first quinolones to be recommended by the US FDA and the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA) for treating respiratory infections. Levofloxacin is being successfully used in Europe, USA and 50 other countries worldwide.

Levofloxacin's significance lies in the fact that it is active against atypical bacteria, which cause serious infections yet not detected by common laboratory tests and which cannot be treated with conventional antibiotics.

Professor and head of the department of chest medicine, KEM hospital and Seth GS Medical College, Dr Ashok Mahashur said, "We have conducted a study to assess the efficacy of levofloxacin. We found excellent clinical and bacteriological results in a majority of patients".