| Indication | For the treatment of infections (respiratory tract, kidney, skin, soft tissue, UTI), urethral and cervical gonorrhoea. |
| Pharmacodynamics | Ofloxacin is a quinolone/fluoroquinolone antibiotic. Ofloxacin is bactericidal and its mode of action depends on blocking of bacterial DNA replication by binding itself to an enzyme called DNA gyrase, which allows the untwisting required to replicate one DNA double helix into two. Notably the drug has 100 times higher affinity for bacterial DNA gyrase than for mammalian. Ofloxacin is a broad-spectrum antibiotic that is active against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria. |
| Mechanism of action | Ofloxacin acts on DNA gyrase and toposiomerase IV, enzymes which, like human topoisomerase, prevents the excessive supercoiling of DNA during replication or transcription. By inhibiting their function, the drug thereby inhibits normal cell division. |
| Absorption | Bioavailability of ofloxacin in the tablet formulation is approximately 98% |
| Volume of distribution | Not Available |
| Protein binding | 32% |
| Metabolism | Hepatic |
| Route of elimination | Elimination is mainly by renal excretion. Between 65% and 80% of an administered oral dose of ofloxacin is excreted unchanged via the kidneys within 48 hours of dosing. Four to eight percent of an ofloxacin dose is excreted in the feces. This indicates a small degree of biliary excretion of ofloxacin. |
| Half life | 9 hours |
| Clearance | Not Available |
| Toxicity | LD50=5450 mg/kg (orally in mice) |