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| |  Cipro Available In Canada For Swimmer's Ear MISSISSAUGA, ON -- Aug. 18, 1999 -- Alcon Canada Inc.’s Cipro(R) HC OTIC (ciprofloxacin hydrochloride and hydrocortisone otic suspension), the first and only treatment that combines the potent antibacterial activity of Cipro(R) with the anti-inflammatory relief of hydrocortisone, is now available in Canada for the treatment of otitis externa, more commonly known as swimmer’s ear. Recently approved by the Health Protection Branch of Health Canada for the treatment of otitis externa, Cipro HC OTIC promises to change the way swimmer's ear is treated. A common infection affecting children, teens and adults alike, swimmer's ear is an infection of the ear canal that extends from the eardrum to the outside. Although it occurs year round, it is especially rampant during the summer months when people flock to chlorinated pools that can reduce the natural pH balance in ears or to fresh water that can carry harmful bacteria. Otitis externa can also be caused by skin problems, trauma to the ear, and the insertion of foreign objects during cleaning. Doctors have traditionally prescribed systemic antibiotics (taken in pill or liquid form and absorbed by the body's system) which, over the long term, can lead to bacterial resistance to treatment. In virulent cases, they have added ear drops to the regimen which, in some situations, have been proven to be toxic to the hearing system. A topical antibiotic, such as Cipro HC OTIC, does not generally contribute to the growing resistance problem. “Cipro HC OTIC offers the physician a safer and more effective topical antibiotic for the treatment of otitis externa,” said Michael Hawke, MD, FRCPC, professor of otolaryngology at the University of Toronto. Unlike other treatments, it combines a corticosteroid that reduces swelling, making it easier for the drug to get to the source of the infection. Further, it is aminoglycoside-free and has no reports of ototoxicity, which can cause deafness. In a U.S. 30-centre, prospective, randomised, non-blinded, three-arm, multicentre clinical trial, Cipro HC (CIP HC) was found to significantly reduce the duration of ear pain, when compared to standard treatment of Polymyxin B-Neomycin-Hydrocortisone or ciprofloxacin alone. Cipro HC OTIC's twice a day dosing makes it easy for parents who can give the drops to their children in the morning and at night, without worrying whether they're getting them throughout the day. Swimmer's ear is caused when water gets into the ear, bringing in bacterial or fungal particles. Usually the water runs back out. However, if it remains in the ear canal, the skin gets soggy. Bacteria and fungi grow, flourish and infect the outer ear causing itchiness, swelling, discharge and pain especially on the cartilage on the front of the ear canal.
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