Levofloxacin
Brand names: Levofloxacin
Part of: Common antibiotics
At a glance
- Medicare prescriptions, 2024
- 1,436,107
- Medicare drug cost
- $8.4M
- Average cost per prescription
- $5.86
- Clinicians who prescribed it
- 53,897
Where it is prescribed
List the prescribers in any state, county, city or ZIP code →
What it is used for
Levofloxacin tablets are a fluoroquinolone antibacterial indicated in adults (18 years of age and older) with infections caused by designated, susceptible bacteria and in pediatric patients where indicated. Pneumonia: Nosocomial and Community Acquired Skin and Skin Structure Infections (SSSI): Complicated and Uncomplicated Chronic bacterial prostatitis Inhalational Anthrax, Post-Exposure in adult and pediatric patients Plague in adult and pediatric patients Urinary Tract Infections (UTI): Complicated and Uncomplicated Acute Pyelonephritis Acute Bacterial Exacerbation of Chronic Bronchitis Acute Bacterial Sinusitis Usage To reduce the development of drug-resistant bacteria and maintain the effectiveness of levofloxacin and other antibacterial drugs, levofloxacin should be used only to treat or prevent infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by bacteria.
From the FDA-approved prescribing information (label dated August 2026). Full labels on DailyMed (opens in a new tab)
Boxed warning
WARNING: SERIOUS ADVERSE REACTIONS INCLUDING TENDINITIS, TENDON RUPTURE, PERIPHERAL NEUROPATHY, CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM EFFECTS AND EXACERBATION OF MYASTHENIA GRAVIS Fluoroquinolones, including levofloxacin, have been associated with disabling and potentially irreversible serious adverse reactions that have occurred together, including: Tendinitis and tendon rupture Peripheral neuropathy Central nervous system effects Discontinue levofloxacin immediately and avoid the use of fluoroquinolones, including levofloxacin, in patients who experience any of these serious adverse reactions Fluoroquinolones, including levofloxacin, may exacerbate muscle weakness in patients with myasthenia gravis. Avoid levofloxacin in patients with a known history of myasthenia gravis. Because fluoroquinolones, including levofloxacin, have been associated with serious adverse reactions, reserve levofloxacin for…
The FDA’s strongest warning on a label. It doesn’t mean the drug is unsafe for most people; talk to your doctor or pharmacist before stopping or changing any medicine.
Who prescribes it
- Internal Medicine 23.0%
- Family Medicine 19.9%
- Nurse Practitioners 15.9%
- Urology 11.2%
- Physician Assistants 5.2%
- Pulmonology 4.0%
- General Practice 3.5%
- Hematology & Oncology 2.3%
- Hospitalist 2.3%
- Emergency Medicine 2.0%
- Infectious Disease 1.8%
- Podiatrists 1.3%
All prescribers, by place, name or specialty →
Share of Medicare prescriptions written by each specialty. Select one to list its prescribers.
Trend, 2019–2024
Medicare prescriptions fell 21% from 2019 to 2024.
Biggest change by state since 2019
- Utah +10%
- Puerto Rico +6%
- New Hampshire −3%
- Mississippi −8%
- Montana −9%
- Indiana (smallest change) −29%
- North Carolina (smallest change) −28%
From CMS’s yearly state and national Part D summaries, which count every prescriber, including those CMS leaves out of its per-clinician data (fewer than 11 prescriptions). That is why these totals are higher than the count at the top of this page. Prescriptions include refills.
What it looks like
Pills from 3 makers on file. The same medicine can look different depending on who made it, so check the imprint (the letters and numbers on the pill) with your pharmacist if a refill looks different.
Pd-Rx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 750 mg | white capsule, 22 mm | 11 T |
Redpharm Drug
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 250 mg | pink capsule, 15 mm | 13 T |
St. Mary's Medical PArk Pharmacy
| Strength | Looks like | Imprint |
|---|---|---|
| 750 mg | white capsule, 21 mm | I 18 |
Source: DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), from each maker’s FDA drug listing. A few makers are shown, not every one. Never take a pill you can’t identify; ask a pharmacist.
Industry payments about this drug
No industry payments to clinicians named this drug in 2025.
Recalls and shortages
Not on the FDA drug shortage list.
2 recalls since 2020
- Apr 2022 · McKesson Medical-Surgical Inc. Corporate Office · Class II
cGMP deviations: Temperature abuse - Mar 2021 · Cardinal Health Inc. · Class II
CGMP Deviations: Intermittent exposure to temperature excursion during storage.
Recalls usually affect specific lots from one maker, not every version of a drug. Class I is the most serious; most drug recalls are Class II. FDA recalls (opens in a new tab)
Sources: CMS Medicare Part D Prescribers by Provider and Drug (2024; prescriptions include refills, and CMS hides counts under 11 per prescriber); U.S. Food and Drug Administration, openFDA (drug labels, NDC directory, enforcement reports, drug shortages); CMS Open Payments 2025; ClinicalTrials.gov. General information only, not medical advice; not yet reviewed by our medical reviewer.