Sequential moxifloxacin therapy in hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia

Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of sequential moxifloxacin therapy in treatment of hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia(CAP).Methods The 186 patients with community-acquired pneumonia who were hospitalized during January 2009 and December 2010 were randomized to receive two different moxifloxacin regimens.The patients in the control group received moxifloxacin by intravenous infusion,400 mg once daily for 7-10 days.The patients in sequential therapy group received moxifloxacin by intravenous infusion 400 mg once daily for 3-5 days,followed by oral administration at the same dose.The total treatment duration was also 7-14 days.Results Eighty-six patients in sequential group and 88 patients in control group completed the study.No serious adverse drug reaction was reported in either group.The safety profile did not show any significant difference between the two groups(P0.05).The clinical efficacy rate was 87.2%in sequential group, and 89.8%in the control group.The bacterial eradication rate was 92.1%in sequential group and 95.7%in the control group, respectively.Comparison between groups did not show any significant difference(P0.05).Conclusions Moxifloxacin is effective and safe in the treatment of local hospitalized CAP patients.The sequential therapy is similar to full intravenous therapy. It may be a useful alternative therapy for those CAP patients who can take the drug orally.