Lomefloxacin Versus Ciprofloxacin in the Treatment of Chronic Bacterial Prostatitis

KG Naber and German Lomefloxacin Prostatitis Study Group

St. Elisabeth Hospital, Straubing, Germany

A total of 182 patients with chronic bacterial prostatitis were recruited into this multicenter, prospective, randomized clinical study. Of these, 93 were treated orally with lomefloxacin (400 mg once daily) and 89 with ciprofloxacin (500 mg twice daily) for 4 weeks.

At 5-9 days, 90/90 vs. 83/83, at 4-6 weeks 80/81 vs. 81/81, at 3 months 79/78 vs. 77/74, and at 6 months 77/75 vs.75/72 patients ages 20-70 years were evaluable bacteriologically/ clinically according to ITT (failures were forwarded). The most frequent pathogens cultured according to the Meares & Stamey localization technique were E.coli, followed by staphylococci, enterococci, and P.mirabilis. At 5-9 days, 4-6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months after therapy, the rates of eradication without superinfection per evaluable patients (100%) were in the lomefloxacin group 80%, 75%, 75%, and 64%, and for the ciprofloxacin group 83%, 80%, 82%, and 72%, respectively. The corresponding success (cure and improvement) rates were 98% vs. 98%, 85% vs. 90%, 86% vs. 89%, and 81% vs .89%. There were no statistically significant differences (p<0.05) between the results of the two treatment groups. Nineteen percent (19%) of the patients treated with lomefloxacin and 22% treated with ciprofloxacin reported at least one adverse event. Nine (5 vs. 4) patients were withdrawn because of adverse events.

According to bacteriological and clinical results, including adverse events, the oral treatment of chronic bacterial prostatitis over 4 weeks with lomefloxacin (400 mg once daily) is comparably effective and tolerable to that with ciprofloxacin (500 mg twice daily).