Time to symptom relief for uncomplicated urinary tract infection treated with extended-release ciprofloxacin: a prospective, open-label, uncontrolled primary care study.

Objective: Few studies have investigated symptom relief in urinary tract infections. This innovative exploratory trial aimed to measure the time to improvement of the signs and symptoms of uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) in women receiving extended-release ciprofloxacin. Time to return to normal daily activities was also evaluated. Research design and methods: An open-label, multicenter US study in adult female outpatients with uncomplicated UTI. Patients completed serial questionnaires: the Urinary tract infection Symptom Assessment [USA], tracking time to symptom improvement, and the Activity Impairment Assessment [AIA], measuring the time to return to normal daily activities, using hand-held electronic diaries. Severity on the USA questionnaire was categorized using a 4-point Likert-type scale, with improvement defined as a reduction of at least one degree of symptom severity. All patients received once-daily extended-release ciprofloxacin 500 mg tablets for 3 days. Results: Of 276 female patients aged 18-78 years who enrolled at 28 sites, 273 (99%) were safety-valid, 264 (96%) completed at least 24h of questionnaires and were valid for symptom relief analysis, and 170 (62%) had pre-therapy pathogen(s) >= 10(3) CFU/mL and were valid for efficacy analysis. Six hours after the first dose of study drug, 50% of patients reported symptom improvement; 87% by 24 h and 91% by 48 h. At study entry, 54% of patients reported considerably decreased time at work or other activities; reduced to 23% by Day 2 and 10% by Day 3. At the test-of-cure visit (5-11 days post-therapy), 96% (163/170) of patients were clinical cures. Drug-related adverse events were reported by 18 (7%) patients and were consistent with previous extended-release ciprofloxacin studies (e.g., gastrointestinal disturbance, fungal superinfections). There were no serious adverse events or discontinuations due to adverse events. Conclusion: This open-label, non-comparative trial in adult women demonstrated a rapid improvement in uncomplicated UTI symptom severity (6-24h) and the ability to return to work within 24h following extended-release ciprofloxacin treatment. Clinical cure rate and tolerability profile were similar to results of previous extended-release ciprofloxacin studies.