EMEA Restricts Use of Oral Norfloxacin Drugs in UTIs
LONDON -- July 24, 2008 -- The European Medicines Agency has
recommended restricting the use of oral norfloxacin-containing
medicines in urinary infections.

The Agency's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP)
has concluded that the marketing authorisations for oral norfloxacin-
containing medicines, when used in the treatment of acute or chronic
complicated pyelonephritis, should be withdrawn because the benefits
of these medicines do not outweigh their risks in this indication.

This is based on the fact that the efficacy has not been adequately
demonstrated for this type of infection.

The CHMP review of norfloxacin medicines was initiated on the request
of the Belgian medicines regulatory agency. They questioned the
efficacy of oral formulations of the medicine for complicated
pyelonephritis in comparison with other fluoroquinolones.

Following evaluation of information provided by the companies, the
CHMP, at its July 2008 meeting, noted that there was not enough
clinical data to demonstrate the efficacy of oral treatment with
norfloxacin-containing medicines in complicated pyelonephritis.

Therefore, the CHMP concluded that the use of oral norfloxacin-
containing medicines in the treatment of acute or chronic complicated
pyelonephritis could no longer be supported.

The recommendation of the CHMP does not have an impact on the use of
oral norfloxacin-containing medicines in other types of infection.

Doctors should not prescribe oral norfloxacin for complicated
pyelonephritis and should consider switching patients already taking
oral norfloxacin for this type of infection to an alternative
antibiotic.