Loteprednol Etabonate + Gatifloxacin

Indications

Viral Infection Acne Vulgaris Conjunctivitis Inflammation

Loteprednol Etabonate + Gatifloxacin ophthalmic suspension is used for inflammatory conditions of the eye that respond to steroids, where a corticosteroid is needed and there is a superficial bacterial infection of the eye or a risk of one. Loterex-G ophthalmic suspension has the same use. Ocular steroids are given for inflammation of the palpebral and bulbar conjunctiva, the cornea and the anterior segment of the globe. Examples are allergic conjunctivitis, acne, superficial punctate keratitis, herpes zoster keratitis, iritis and cyclitis. The suspension is also used to treat inflammation after eye surgery.

⚠️ Always consult a registered physician before taking any medicine.

Pharmacology

Loteprednol etabonate and other corticosteroids are thought to act by inducing phospholipase A2 inhibitory proteins, which are collectively called lipocortins. These proteins are believed to control the biosynthesis of potent mediators of inflammation, such as prostaglandins and leukotrienes. They do this by stopping the release of arachidonic acid, the common precursor of both. Arachidonic acid is released from membrane phospholipids by phospholipase A2.

Gatifloxacin is an 8-methoxyfluoroquinolone with a 3-methylpiperazinyl substituent at C7. It kills bacteria by inhibiting DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV. DNA gyrase is an essential enzyme in the replication, transcription and repair of bacterial DNA. Topoisomerase IV is known to play a key part in separating the chromosomal DNA when a bacterial cell divides.

Fluoroquinolones, gatifloxacin included, work differently from aminoglycoside, macrolide and tetracycline antibiotics. So gatifloxacin may be active against pathogens that are resistant to those antibiotics, and those antibiotics may be active against pathogens that are resistant to gatifloxacin.

Gatifloxacin has been shown to be active against most isolates of the following organisms, both microbiologically and clinically.

Aerobic Gram-Positive Bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus mitis group, Streptococcus oralis, Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Aerobic Gram-Negative Bacteria: Haemophilus influenza.

Pregnancy & Breastfeeding

Loteprednol Etabonate + Gatifloxacin is Pregnancy Category C. No adequate and well-controlled studies have been done in pregnant women, so it should be used in pregnancy only if the likely benefit justifies the possible risk to the fetus.

It is not known whether this medicine passes into human milk. Many drugs do pass into milk, so caution is needed when Loteprednol Etabonate + Gatifloxacin is given to a nursing woman.

⚠️ Talk to your doctor before taking any medicine during pregnancy or while breastfeeding.

Dosage Reference

⚠️ Reference ranges from official sources only. Consult your doctor for personalized dosing.

Adults: Put one or two drops of the sterile ophthalmic suspension into the conjunctival sac of the affected eye or eyes, every four to six hours. In the first 24 to 48 hours the doctor may increase this to every one to two hours. As the signs of the eye problem improve, bring the frequency down gradually. Take care not to stop the treatment too early.