( ANAHEIM Calif. May 19 2007 /PRNewsw...)Five Days of LEVAQUIN(R) as Effective as 10 Days of Ciprofloxacin,in Complicated Urinary Tract Infections and Acute Pyelonephritis,Health

ANAHEIM, Calif., May 19, 2007 /PRNewswire/ -- Data presented today at a major medical meeting found that Levaquin (levofloxacin) 750 mg tablets administered once-daily for five days is as effective as standard therapy of ciprofloxacin (400/500 mg) for 10 days for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI) and acute pyelonephritis (AP).

Ortho-McNeil, Inc., the company that markets LEVAQUIN in the U.S., presented the data during a scientific session at the annual meeting of the American Urological Association (AUA), held here this week.

Each year, urinary tract infections account for more than eight million physician visits. They occur in the kidneys, ureters, bladder or the urethra and often are recurrent, resulting in treatment with several courses of antibiotics. Complicated UTIs occur nearly as frequently in men as in women and often occur in people who are susceptible to bacterial infections because of a weakened immune system. Complicated UTIs also may be caused by structural or functional difficulties that interfere with the flow of urine, such as kidney stones.

Pyelonephritis is an infection of one or both kidneys caused by bacteria. It is estimated that more than 250,000 Americans suffer from AP every year, with 10 to 30 percent of cases resulting in hospitalization.

"A short course of five, once-daily doses of LEVAQUIN 750 mg is as effective as 10 twice-daily doses of ciprofloxacin in treating complicated urinary tract infections and acute pyelonephritis," said Norman R. Rosenthal, MD, Vice President, Medical Affairs, on behalf of Ortho-McNeil, Inc. "These findings will be important to the healthcare professionals that treat patients with these conditions."

The multi-center, double-blind, randomized study of 1,109 patients with either cUTI or AP was designed to assess the efficacy and safety of LEVAQUIN (750 mg QD/five days) versus ciprofloxacin (400/
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