Do hospital formularies need more than one quinolone?

Abstract

The answer for many hospitals is probably yes. There are now 4 generations of quinolones, with the agents of the third and fourth generations having extended spectra of activity compared with the earlier quinolones such as ciprofloxacin. The implications for hospitals with regard to the use of the new quinolones, both those that have been launched and those that will become available in the next few months, were discussed at the 32nd Annual Midyear Clinical Meeting of the American Society of Health-Systems Pharmacists (ASHP) [ Atlanta, US; December 1997 ].