Bayer/Schering-Plough/Shionogi's Avelox Has Advantages Over Levofloxacin in the Treatment of Community-Acquired...( Superior Bacteriological Era...),Health

Superior Bacteriological Eradication and Activity Against Antibiotic-Resistant Pathogens Earn Avelox Gold Standard Status Through

2016, According to a New Report from Decision Resources

WALTHAM, Mass., April 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Decision Resources, one of the world's leading research and advisory firms focusing on pharmaceutical and healthcare issues, finds that a therapy's overall clinical efficacy (defined as cure or improvement of symptoms) is the attribute that most influences primary care physicians' prescribing decisions for community-acquired pneumonia. Clinical data and expert opinion show that Bayer/Schering-Plough/Shionogi's Avelox (moxifloxacin) is similar in overall clinical efficacy to the market leader levofloxacin -- Johnson & Johnson's Levaquin, Sanofi-Aventis's Tavanic and Daiichi Sankyo's Cravit. However, Avelox's advantages in bacteriological efficacy, spectrum of activity, and activity against key antibiotic-resistant pathogens earn the agent gold standard status for community acquired pneumonia.

The new report entitled Community-Acquired Pneumonia: In a Crowded Generics-Dominated Market, Room for New Agents Still Exists finds that, through 2016, there are no therapies in development that will displace Avelox as the clinical gold standard for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia. Although levofloxacin is superior to Avelox in the areas of safety and delivery -- offering a lower incidence of dermatological reactions and a five-day course of treatment -- Avelox outperforms levofloxacin on efficacy measures such as bacteriological eradication and activity against penicillin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae and Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

"Based on available data and expert opinion, we do not expect any therapy under development for community-acquired pneumonia to displace Avelox as the clinical gold standard for this indication through 2016," said John Lebbos, M.D. director at
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