Question 19

What are the regional differences in activity profiles between individual fluoroquinolones?

Further detailed comparison between individual fluoroquinolones confirmed the greater overall activity of levofloxacin, compared with moxifloxacin and ciprofloxacin throughout the entire 7 countries evaluated (Figure 2). As noted, the total susceptibility rates for levofloxacin ranged from 79% in Taiwan to 100% in Malaysia, Korea and the Philippines. In comparison, the overall susceptibility to moxifloxacin ranged from 14% in Indonesia, 19% in Taiwan, 53% in Hong Kong, 66% in Thailand, to a high of 68% in the Philippines, Malaysia and Korea. Ciprofloxacin susceptibility was also lower than that of levofloxacin, with 79% of Hong Kong isolates susceptible to ciprofloxacin, 93% in Thailand and Indonesia, 73% in Taiwan, and 78% in the Philippines, Malaysia, and Korea (Table 4).

Figure 2. Total ABECOPD pathogen susceptibility rate for three fluoroquinolones according to country of origin

Abbreviation: ABECOPD = acute bacterial exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Adapted from reference (16).

Table 4. Total ABECOPD pathogen susceptibility rate for three fluoroquinolones according to country of origin

Agent	Country
	Hong Kong	Taiwan	Indonesia	Korea	Philippines	Thailand	Malaysia
Levofloxacin	93	79	95	100	100	97	100
Ciprofloxacin	79	73	93	78	78	93	78
Moxifloxacin	53	19	14	68	68	66	68