Infectious disease experts consider them to be an antibiotic of last resort, to be prescribed only when first-line antibiotics such as penicillin fail to work, or in cases of extreme, life-threatening infection, or for certain bacteria known to respond best to quinolones.
But the drug ran into trouble: it was pulled soon after entering the U.S. market six years ago, when a few patients using the drug developed a life-threatening brain infection.
For certain heart conditions, antibiotics are recommended about one hour before invasive medical procedures to prevent a condition called infective endocarditis, which is a potentially life-threatening bacterial infection of the inner lining or valve within the heart.