Basic and clinical studies on loracarbef in the urological field

We studied the antibacterial activity and efficacy of loracarbef (LCBF), a new carbacephem antibiotic, in the urological field. 1) Antibacterial activity: The MICs of LCBF were measured against 205 clinical isolates of 14 species from urinary tract infections and compared with those of cefixime (CFIX), cefteram pivoxil (CFTM-PI) and cefaclor (CCL). In general, the antibacterial activities of LCBF were almost equal to those of CCL. 2) Clinical efficacy in complicated urinary tract infection was evaluated according to the criteria of the Japanese UTI Committee. The clinical response in 8 evaluable patients was considered excellent in 4, moderate in 3 and poor in 1. Seven (87.5%) of 8 strains isolated were eradicated. 3) The concentration of LCBF in expressed prostatic secretion (EPS) was studied after oral administration of the drug at a dose of 200 mg. Four hours after the administration of LCBF, the concentration in EPS reached 0.48±0.16 μg/ml (n=3), and the ratio between serum and EPS was 0.28±0.12. 4) Side effects: Diarrhea and abdominal pain were observed in 1 patient. Both symptoms were mild and transient. Based on the above findings, it is considered that LCBF is useful in the treatment of urinary tract infection.