
Ask a doctor about a prescription for LEVOFLOXACIN AUROVITAS 5 mg/ml SOLUTION FOR INFUSION
Package Leaflet: Information for the User
Levofloxacino Aurovitas 5 mg/ml Solution for Infusion EFG
Read all of this leaflet carefully before you start using this medicine because it contains important information for you.
Contents of the Package Leaflet
The name of this medicine is Levofloxacino Aurovitas Solution for Infusion. Levofloxacino Aurovitas Solution for Infusion contains the active substance levofloxacin, which belongs to a group of medicines called antibiotics. Levofloxacin is a quinolone antibiotic and works by killing the bacteria that cause infections in your body.
Antibiotics are used to treat bacterial infections and do not work for viral infections such as flu or the common cold.
It is important that you follow the instructions regarding dose, administration interval, and treatment duration as indicated by your doctor.
Do not store or reuse this medicine. If you have any leftover antibiotic after completing treatment, return it to the pharmacy for proper disposal. Do not throw medicines down the drain or into the trash.
Levofloxacin Solution for Infusion can be used to treat infections in:
In some special situations, levofloxacin solution for infusion may be used to reduce the possibility of acquiring a lung infection called anthrax or worsening of this disease after exposure to the bacteria that cause anthrax.
Do not use Levofloxacino Aurovitas Solution for Infusion
Do not use this medicine if any of the above cases apply to you. If in doubt, consult your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist before using levofloxacin solution for infusion.
Warnings and Precautions
Consult your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse before using Levofloxacino Aurovitas Solution for Infusion if:
Quinolone antibiotics may cause an increase in your blood sugar levels above normal levels (hyperglycemia) or a decrease in your blood sugar levels below normal levels, which in severe cases can lead to loss of consciousness (hypoglycemic coma) (see section 4). This is important for people with diabetes. If you have diabetes, your blood sugar levels should be carefully monitored.
Severe Skin Reactions
Severe skin reactions, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome, toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN), and drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS), have been reported with the use of levofloxacin.
If you develop a severe rash or any of these skin symptoms, stop using levofloxacin and contact your doctor or seek medical attention immediately.
Before You Start Using This Medicine
Do not take antibacterial medicines that contain fluoroquinolones or quinolones, including levofloxacin, if you have experienced any severe side effects in the past when taking a quinolone or fluoroquinolone. If this applies to you, inform your doctor as soon as possible.
Consult Your Doctor, Pharmacist, or Nurse During Treatment with Your Medicine:
Consult an ophthalmologist immediately if you experience any changes in your vision or have any eye problems.
During Treatment with This Medicine
Rarely, pain and swelling in the joints and inflammation or rupture of the tendons can occur. The risk is greater if you are an elderly person (over 60 years), have received an organ transplant, have kidney problems, or are being treated with corticosteroids. Tendon inflammation and rupture can occur within the first 48 hours of treatment and even several months after stopping treatment with levofloxacin. At the first sign of pain or inflammation of a tendon (e.g., in the ankle, wrist, elbow, shoulder, or knee), stop taking levofloxacin, contact your doctor, and rest the affected area. Avoid any unnecessary exercise, as this could increase the risk of tendon rupture.
Rarely, you may experience symptoms of nerve damage (neuropathy) such as pain, burning, tingling, numbness, and/or weakness, especially in the feet and legs or hands and arms. If this happens, stop taking levofloxacin and inform your doctor immediately to prevent the development of a potentially irreversible disorder.
Severe, Long-Lasting, and Potentially Irreversible Side Effects
Antibacterial medicines that contain fluoroquinolones or quinolones, including levofloxacin, have been associated with very rare but serious side effects, some of which were long-lasting (persisting for months or years), disabling, or potentially irreversible. These include pain in the tendons, muscles, and joints of the upper and lower limbs, difficulty walking, abnormal sensations such as pins and needles, tingling, prickling, numbness, or burning (paresthesia), sensory disorders such as decreased vision, taste, smell, and hearing, depression, decreased memory, intense fatigue, and severe sleep disorders.
If you experience any of these side effects after taking levofloxacin, contact your doctor immediately before continuing treatment. You and your doctor will decide whether to continue or not, also considering the use of an antibiotic of another class.
If you are unsure whether any of the above cases apply to you, inform your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse before they administer this medicine to you.
Other Medicines and Levofloxacino Aurovitas Solution for Infusion
Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken, or might take any other medicines. This is because levofloxacin may affect the way some medicines work, and some of these may affect the way levofloxacin works.
In particular, inform your doctor if you are taking any of the following medicines, as this increases the likelihood of experiencing side effects when taking them with levofloxacin solution for infusion:
Tell your doctor if any of the above cases apply to you.
Opiate Determination in Urine
Urine tests may show "false positive" results for the presence of strong painkillers called "opioids" in patients using levofloxacin. Inform your doctor that you are using levofloxacin if you have been prescribed a urine test.
Tuberculosis Test
This medicine may cause a "false negative" result in some laboratory tests used to detect the bacteria that cause tuberculosis.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Do not use this medicine if:
Driving and Using Machines
Some side effects may occur, including dizziness, drowsiness, balance disturbance (vertigo), or visual disturbances. Some of these side effects may affect your ability to concentrate or reduce your reaction time. If this happens, do not drive or perform any work that requires a high level of attention.
Levofloxacino Aurovitas Solution for Infusion Contains Sodium
Patients on low-sodium diets should note that this medicine contains 177 mg (7.7 mmol) of sodium per 50 ml dose and 354 mg (15.4 mmol) of sodium per 100 ml dose.
How to use Levofloxacino Aurovitas solution for infusion
How much Levofloxacino Aurovitas solution for infusion is administered
If you are not sure why you are being administered levofloxacino or have any questions about how much levofloxacino you are being administered, consult your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist.
Adults and elderly patients
Adults and elderly patients with kidney problems
Your doctor may administer a lower dose to you.
Children and adolescents
This medication should not be administered to children or adolescents.
Protect your skin from sunlight
Do not expose your skin directly to the sun (even on cloudy days) while you are being administered this medication and for two days after stopping use, as your skin will become much more sensitive to the sun and may burn, sting, or even blister if you do not take the following precautions:
If you use more Levofloxacino Aurovitas solution for infusion than you should
It is unlikely that your doctor or nurse will administer more medication than you need. Your doctor and nurse will monitor your progress and control the medication that has been administered to you. Always ask if you are not sure why you are being administered this medication.
If you are administered more levofloxacino than you need, the following effects may appear: epileptic seizures (convulsions), confusion, dizziness, decreased consciousness, tremors, heart disorders that can cause irregular heartbeats, as well as discomfort (nausea).
If you forget to use Levofloxacino Aurovitas solution for infusion
Your doctor or nurse will have instructions on when to give you this medication. It is unlikely that you will not be administered the medication as prescribed. However, if you think you have forgotten a dose, inform your doctor or nurse.
If you interrupt treatment with Levofloxacino Aurovitas solution for infusion
Your doctor or nurse will continue to administer levofloxacino to you, even if you feel better. If treatment is interrupted too early, the infection may recur, you may worsen, or the bacteria may become resistant to the medication. After a few days of treatment with the solution for infusion, your doctor may decide to switch you to the tablet form of this medication to complete the treatment.
If you have any other questions about the use of this medication, ask your doctor, nurse, or pharmacist.
Like all medications, this medication can cause side effects, although not everyone will experience them. They are usually mild to moderate and tend to disappear in a short time.
Stop treatment with levofloxacino and contact a doctor or nurse immediately if you notice the following side effects:
Very rare(may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people)
Stop treatment with levofloxacino and contact a doctor or nurse immediately if you notice any of the following serious side effects, as you may need urgent medical treatment:
Rare(may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people)
Very rare(may affect up to 1 in 10,000 people)
Frequency not known(cannot be estimated from available data)
Consult an eye specialist immediately if your vision deteriorates or you have any other eye problems while being treated with levofloxacino.
The administration of antibiotics containing quinolones and fluoroquinolones has been associated with very rare cases of long-lasting (even months or years) or permanent adverse reactions, such as tendon inflammation, tendon rupture, joint pain, limb pain, difficulty walking, abnormal sensations such as pinching, tingling, burning, numbness, or pain (neuropathy), depression, fatigue, sleep disorders, memory loss, and loss of hearing, vision, taste, and smell, in some cases regardless of the presence of pre-existing risk factors.
There have been reports of increased size and weakening or tearing of the aortic wall (aneurysms and dissections), which can lead to rupture and be fatal, and cardiac valve insufficiency in patients who have received fluoroquinolones. See also section 2.
Tell your doctor if any of the following side effects worsen or last more than a few days:
Common(may affect up to 1 in 10 people)
Uncommon(may affect up to 1 in 100 people)
Rare(may affect up to 1 in 1,000 people)
Frequency not known(cannot be estimated from available data)
Reporting side effects
If you experience any side effects, consult your doctor, pharmacist, or nurse, even if it is a possible side effect that is not listed in this leaflet. You can also report them directly through the Spanish Pharmacovigilance System for Human Use Medicines: www.notificaram.es. By reporting side effects, you can help provide more information on the safety of this medication.
Keep this medication out of sight and reach of children.
Do not use this medication after the expiration date that appears on the box and vial after CAD. The expiration date is the last day of the month indicated.
Keep the vial in the outer packaging to protect it from light. During infusion, no light protection is required.
Once the vial is opened for infusion (puncture of the rubber stopper), the solution must be used immediately (within 3 hours) to prevent microbiological contamination.
Do not use this medication if you observe that the solution is not transparent, has a yellowish-green color, and/or has particles.
Medications should not be thrown away through wastewater or household waste. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of the packaging and medications you no longer need. This will help protect the environment.
Composition of Levofloxacino Aurovitas Solution for Infusion
Each 50 ml vial of solution for infusion contains 250 mg of levofloxacino (as hemihydrate).
Each 100 ml vial of solution for infusion contains 500 mg of levofloxacino (as hemihydrate).
Product Appearance and Container Content
Levofloxacino Aurovitas solution for infusion is a clear yellowish-green solution, particle-free, with a pH of 4.2 to 5.5.
50 ml glass vial type I, transparent, with a gray bromobutyl rubber stopper and an aluminum cap with a polypropylene disc. Each vial contains 50 ml of solution.
100 ml glass vial type I, transparent, with a gray bromobutyl rubber stopper and an aluminum cap with a polypropylene disc. Each vial contains 100 ml of solution.
Package sizes:
50 ml: 1, 5, and 10 vials.
100 ml: 1, 5, 10, and 20 vials.
Only some package sizes may be marketed.
Marketing Authorization Holder and Manufacturer
Marketing Authorization Holder
Eugia Pharma (Malta) Limited
Vault 14, Level 2, Valletta Waterfront
Floriana, FRN 1914
Malta
Manufacturer
APL Swift Services (Malta) Limited
HF26, Hal Far Industrial Estate, Hal Far
Birzebbugia, BBG 3000
Malta
For further information on this medicinal product, please contact the local representative of the marketing authorization holder:
Aurovitas Spain, S.A.U.
Avda. de Burgos, 16-D
28036 Madrid
Spain
This medicinal product is authorized in the Member States of the European Economic Area under the following names:
Belgium: | Levofloxacin Eugia 5 mg/ml oplossing voor infusie/solution pour perfusion/infusionslösung |
Spain: | Levofloxacino Aurovitas 5 mg/ml solución para perfusión EFG |
Italy: | Levofloxacina Aurobindo Italia |
Portugal: | Levofloxacina Aurovitas |
Date of the last revision of this leaflet: December 2023
Detailed information on this medicinal product is available on the website of the Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (AEMPS) (http://www.aemps.gob.es/).
This information is intended only for healthcare professionals:
For single use. Levofloxacino solution for infusion should be used immediately (within 3 hours) after the rubber stopper is pierced to prevent microbial contamination. Keep the vial in the outer packaging to protect it from light. During infusion, no protection from light is required.
The solution should be inspected visually before use. It should only be used if the solution is clear, yellowish-green in color, and particle-free.
Administration Method
Levofloxacino Aurovitas solution for infusion is only indicated for slow intravenous infusion; it is administered once or twice a day. The infusion time should be at least 30 minutes for 250 mg of levofloxacino solution for infusion or 60 minutes for 500 mg of levofloxacino solution for infusion. During the infusion time, the patient should be examined for any signs of severe tachycardia (rapid heartbeat) and a transient decrease in blood pressure. In rare cases, circulatory problems may occur as a result of a significant drop in blood pressure.
Mixing with Other Infusion Solutions
Levofloxacino Aurovitas 5 mg/ml solution for infusion is physically compatible and chemically stable at controlled room temperature (i.e., 15-25°C) for up to 8 hours when mixed with the following infusion solutions in the concentration range of 0.5 mg/ml to 2 mg/ml.
Incompatibilities
This medicinal product should not be mixed with:
The best alternatives with the same active ingredient and therapeutic effect.
Discuss dosage, side effects, interactions, contraindications, and prescription renewal for LEVOFLOXACIN AUROVITAS 5 mg/ml SOLUTION FOR INFUSION – subject to medical assessment and local rules.