ofloxacin ofloxacin ofloxacin is a quinolone antibiotic useful for the treatment of a number of bacterial infections. when taken by mouth or injection into a vein, these include pneumonia, cellulitis, urinary tract infections, prostatitis, plague, and certain types of infectious diarrhea. other uses, along with other medications, include treating multidrug resistant tuberculosis. an eye drop may be used for a superficial bacterial infection of the eye and an ear drop may be used for otitis media when a hole in the ear drum is present. ofloxacinclinical datatrade namesfloxin, ocuflox, othersother names(±)-9-fluoro-2,3-dihydro-3-methyl-10-(4-methyl-1-piperazinyl)-7-oxo-7h-pyridobenzoxazine-6-carboxylic acidahfs/drugs.commonographmedlineplusa691005license data us dailymed: ofloxacin routes ofadministrationby mouth, intravenous therapy, topical (eye drops and ear drops)atc codej01ma01 (who) s01ae01 (who), s02aa16 (who)legal statuslegal status us: ℞-only pharmacokinetic databioavailability85% – 95%protein binding32%elimination half-life8–9 hoursidentifiers iupac name (rs)-7-fluoro-2-methyl-6-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)-10-oxo-4-oxa-1-azatricyclotrideca-5(13),6,8,11-tetraene-11-carboxylic acid cas number82419-36-1 ypubchem cid4583drugbankdb01165 ychemspider4422 yuniia4p49jaz9hkeggd00453 ychebichebi:7731 ychemblchembl4 ycomptox dashboard (epa)dtxsid3041085 echa infocard100.205.209 chemical and physical dataformulac18h20fn3o4molar mass361.373 g·mol−13d model (jsmol)interactive imagechiralityracemic mixturemelting point250–257 °c (482–495 °f) smiles fc4cc1c2n(/c=c(\c1=o)c(=o)o)c(coc2c4n3ccn(c)cc3)c inchi inchi=1s/c18h20fn3o4/c1-10-9-26-17-14-11(16(23)12(18(24)25)8-22(10)14)7-13(19)15(17)21-5-3-20(2)4-6-21/h7-8,10h,3-6,9h2,1-2h3,(h,24,25) ykey:gsdswsvvblhkdq-uhfffaoysa-n y (verify) side effects and mechanisms when taken by mouth, common side effects include vomiting, diarrhea, headache, and rash. other serious side effect include tendon rupture, numbness due to nerve damage, seizures, and psychosis. use in pregnancy is typically not recommended. ofloxacin is in the fluoroquinolone family of medications. it works by interfering with the bacterium's dna. history and culture ofloxacin was patented in 1980 and approved for medical use in 1985. it is on the world health organization's list of essential medicines. ofloxacin is available as a generic medication. in 2020, it was the 242nd most commonly prescribed medication in the united states, with more than 1 million prescriptions. medical uses ofloxacin is used in the treatment of bacterial infections such as: acute bacterial exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (copd) community-acquired pneumonia uncomplicated skin and skin structure infections nongonococcal urethritis and cervicitis epididymitis mixed infections of the urethra and cervix acute pelvic inflammatory disease uncomplicated cystitis complicated urinary tract infections prostatitis acute, uncomplicated urethral and cervical gonorrhea ofloxacin has not been shown to be effective in the treatment of syphilis. ofloxacin is no longer considered a first-line treatment for gonorrhea, because of bacterial resistance. susceptible bacteria according to the product package insert, ofloxacin is effective against these microorganisms: aerobic gram-positive microorganisms: staphylococcus aureus (methicillin-susceptible strains) streptococcus pneumoniae (penicillin-susceptible strains) streptococcus pyogenes aerobic gram-negative microorganisms citrobacter koseri (citrobacter diversus) enterobacter aerogenes escherichia coli haemophilus influenzae klebsiella pneumoniae neisseria gonorrhoeae proteus mirabilis pseudomonas aeruginosa other microorganisms: chlamydia trachomatis adverse effects