Moxifloxacin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands

Moxifloxacin is a fluoroquinolone antibacterial sold in the U.S. under 3 brand and generic names, for bacteroides infections, bronchitis and cystitis. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.

By the pharmaranks editorial teamReviewed against the FDA (openFDA label, NDC Directory & Enforcement) sourcesUpdated Jul 24, 2026How we research

Key facts

Drug class: Fluoroquinolone Antibacterial
Treats (across its forms): Bacteroides Infections, Bronchitis and Cystitis
Available as: Drops · Tablet · Solution
Sold as: 3 products — Vigamox, Avelox and Avelox in Sodium Chloride 0.8% in Plastic Container
Prescription?: Prescription only
Generic available?: Not in our catalog
What the pharmacy pays: about $2 per ml — not your price

Get treated for Moxifloxacin conditions online

Licensed online providers — consult & get prescribed if eligible.

Advertising disclosure: We may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. This never affects our ratings. Details

SesameCompare online visit prices

How Vigamox is dosed

From the FDA label for Vigamox (application NDA021598). Other moxifloxacin products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.

Instill one drop in the affected eye 3 times a day for 7 days. VIGAMOX is for topical ophthalmic use. Instill one drop in the affected eye 3 times a day for 7 days. ( 2 )

Everything below is the FDA label for Vigamox (drops). Moxifloxacin is also sold as tablet and solution, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.

Vigamox side effects

Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in the clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to the rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. The most frequently reported ocular adverse events were conjunctivitis, decreased visual acuity, dry eye, keratitis, ocular discomfort, ocular hyperemia, ocular pain, ocular pruritus, subconjunctival hemorrhage, and tearing. These events occurred in approximately 1%-6% of patients. Nonocular adverse events reported at a rate of 1%-4% were fever, increased cough, infection, otitis media, pharyngitis, rash, and rhinitis. The most frequently reported ocular adverse events were conjunctivitis, decreased visual acuity, dry eye, keratitis, ocular discomfort, ocular hyperemia, ocular pain, ocular pruritus, subconjunctival hemorrhage, and tearing. These events occurred in approximately 1% to 6% of patients. ( 6 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Harrow Eye, LLC at 844-446-6979 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch .

Who shouldn’t take Vigamox

VIGAMOX is contraindicated in patients with a history of hypersensitivity to moxifloxacin, to other quinolones, or to any of the components in this medication. VIGAMOX is contraindicated in patients with a history of hypersensitivity to moxifloxacin, to other quinolones, or to any of the components in this medication. ( 4 )

Vigamox drug interactions

Drug-drug interaction studies have not been conducted with VIGAMOX ® . In vitro studies indicate that moxifloxacin does not inhibit CYP3A4, CYP2D6, CYP2C9, CYP2C19, or CYP1A2, indicating that moxifloxacin is unlikely to alter the pharmacokinetics of drugs metabolized by these cytochrome P450 isozymes.

Moxifloxacin and food

Dairy, calcium, iron & antacids
Separate the antibiotic from dairy, supplements, and antacids by a couple of hours — take it at the interval the label or your pharmacist specifies.
Tetracycline — MedlinePlus (U.S. National Library of Medicine) ↗

Every moxifloxacin product we track (3)

Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.

Moxifloxacin products
#	Drug	Rating	Type	Form	Generic?	Pharmacy pays
1	Vigamox	70/100	Prescription	Drops	Generic	$2	View →
2	Avelox	Not yet rated	Prescription	Tablet	Generic	$2	View →
3	Avelox in Sodium Chloride 0.8% in Plastic Container	Not yet rated	Prescription	Solution	Generic	$2	View →

What moxifloxacin pills look like

Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.

Moxifloxacin pill imprints
Imprint	Strength	Colour	Shape	Maker
E;18	400 mg	red	capsule	—
E;18	400 mg	red	capsule	—
E;18	400 mg	red	capsule	—

Moxifloxacin recalls

From the FDA Enforcement database. A recall covers specific lots — not the drug as a whole.

How long moxifloxacin keeps

No moxifloxacin label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.

Does moxifloxacin expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labels

Moxifloxacin and breastfeeding

From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.

No information is available on the use of moxifloxacin during breastfeeding. Fluoroquinolones have traditionally not been used in infants because of concern about adverse effects on the infants' developing joints. However, recent studies indicate little risk. The calcium in milk might prevent absorption of the small amounts of fluoroquinolones in milk, but insufficient data exist to prove or disprove this assertion. Use of moxifloxacin is acceptable in nursing mothers with monitoring of the infant for possible effects on the gastrointestinal flora, such as diarrhea or candidiasis (thrush, diaper rash). However, it is preferable to use an alternate drug for which safety information is available.

Full LactMed record for moxifloxacin: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider instead

National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised April 15, 2026. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.

What people report to the FDA about moxifloxacin

The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 4,482 reports naming moxifloxacin, and the FDA flagged 95% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:

asthma1,252 reports
drug hypersensitivity1,064 reports
dyspnoea1,009 reports
wheezing952 reports
pneumonia892 reports
rash860 reports
vomiting791 reports
malaise674 reports

Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean moxifloxacin caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.

Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 25, 2026.

Related guides

Calcium, iron & absorption →

Related calculators

QTc calculator (this drug can prolong the QT interval) →How long it stays in your system →

Frequently asked questions

What is Vigamox?

VIGAMOX (moxifloxacin ophthalmic solution) 0.5% is a sterile solution for topical ophthalmic use. Moxifloxacin hydrochloride is an 8-methoxy fluoroquinolone anti-infective, with a diazabicyclononyl ring at the C7 position.

What kind of drug is moxifloxacin?

The FDA classifies moxifloxacin as a fluoroquinolone antibacterial. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.

Can you take moxifloxacin with other medicines?

It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run moxifloxacin against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.

What brand names is moxifloxacin sold under?

We track 3 moxifloxacin-containing products in the U.S.: Vigamox, Avelox and Avelox in Sodium Chloride 0.8% in Plastic Container. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.

What forms does moxifloxacin come in?

Across the brands we track, moxifloxacin is currently marketed as drops, tablet and solution, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.

Is there a generic moxifloxacin?

We do not currently list a generic-labelled moxifloxacin product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.

Has moxifloxacin been recalled?

The FDA's Enforcement database lists at least 5 recall records whose product description mentions moxifloxacin. The most recent: Dexamethasone Moxifloxacin Ketorolac (Dec 18, 2025). A recall applies to specific lots, not to the drug as a whole — check the record for the affected lot numbers.

What should I avoid while taking moxifloxacin?

Food: milk and other dairy, calcium- or iron-fortified foods and supplements, and antacids — see the food section above for what each one does and whether it means avoiding it or just being consistent. This is what the FDA label and our cited sources say — it is not a complete list. Your pharmacist can check your own combination.

Cite this page

APA: pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Moxifloxacin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/moxifloxacin
MLA: “Moxifloxacin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/moxifloxacin.

We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.

Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.

Read the full FDA label for moxifloxacin on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.