• André Bryskier and John Lowther.
• Aventis Pharma SA, Infectious Disease Group, Clinical Pharmacology, 102, route de Noisy, 93235 Romainville, Cédex, France. andre.bryskier@aventis.com
• Expert Opin Investig Drugs. 2002 Feb 1; 11 (2): 233-58.

AbstractTuberculosis (TB) remains one of the main causes of morbidity worldwide, and the emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains in some parts of the world has become a major concern. The decrease in activity of the major anti-TB drugs, such as isoniazid and rifampicin, is an important threat and alternative therapies are urgently required. The anti-TB activity of the fluoroquinolones has been under investigation since the 1980s. Many are active in vitro but only a few, including ofloxacin, ciprofloxacin, sparfloxacin, levofloxacin and lomefloxacin, have been clinically tested. Fluoroquinolones can be used in co-therapy with the available anti-TB drugs. However, the choice of fluoroquinolone should be based not only on the in vitro activity, but also on the long-term tolerance. Fluoroquinolones are novel anti-TB drugs to be used when a patient is infected with a MDR-TB strain.

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