The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 273 No 7312 p210
14 August 2004

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DTB finds moxifloxacin lacking but Bayer refutes criticism

Oral moxifloxacin (Avelox), a quinolone antibiotic licensed for use in several respiratory infections, offers “no compelling advantages over established treatments”, according to August’s Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (2004; 42:61). The bulletin also criticises Bayer, manufacturer of Avelox, for a claim made in promotional material that the drug provides “rapid relief from chest infections”.

For all of moxifloxacin’s licensed indications — community-acquired pneumonia, acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis and acute sinusitis — the DTB found no published evidence that the drug improved clinical cure rates compared with standard therapies. It says that the “rapid relief” claim is based on patients’ self-reported secondary-outcome data from one unblinded randomised controlled trial and on unblinded, non-randomised observational studies.

A spokeswoman for Bayer said that the company is standing by its claim. “Bayer HealthCare has not made an unsubstantiated comparative claim that moxifloxacin is faster than standard therapy. We have a number of studies published in peer reviewed journals which demonstrate the rapid symptom relief of moxifloxacin and further studies are under way.” The published studies include observational and post marketing studies.