Twice-daily gatifloxacin as effective as four times daily dosing for bacterial conjunctivitis

Gatifloxacin was as effective against bacterial conjunctivitis when administered twice daily as when administered four times daily, a study found.

R.W. Yee and colleagues at the Hermann Eye Center in Houston randomized 104 patients diagnosed with bacterial conjunctivitis based on signs and symptoms to receive gatifloxacin 0.3% either twice or four times a day for 5 days. Follow up was at baseline, day 3 and day 5. The primary end point was the clinical cure rate at day 5.

The clinical cure rate on day 5 was 86.5% in the twice-daily group and 71.2% in the four-times-daily group. In both treatment groups, five patients reported adverse events, none of which were serious, the study authors said.

The study is published in the March issue of Current Medical Research and Opinion.