Increased doses lead to higher drug exposures of levofloxacin for treatment of tuberculosis

Patients with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in Peru and South Africa were randomized to a weight-banded nominal dose of 11, 14, 17, or 20 mg/kg/day levofloxacin (minimum, 750 mg) in combination with other secondline agents. A total of 101 patients were included in noncompartmental pharmacokinetic analyses. Respective median areas under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 h (AUC0-24) were 109.49, 97.86, 145.33, and 207.04 μg h/ml. Median maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) were 11.90, 12.02, 14.86, and 19.17 μg/ml, respectively. Higher levofloxacin doses, up to 1,500 mg daily, resulted in higher exposures. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under identifier NCT01918397.)