Matador

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Medically reviewed

Rosario Oropesa

Last updated on 22/12/2025

This page provides general, reference-level information compiled from official medical sources. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. For decisions about your health, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.

Overview of Matador

Property Description
Active ingredient Levofloxacin (INN)
Form Film-coated Tablet, Solution for infusion, Ophthalmic solution
Pharmacological class Fluoroquinolone Antibiotic (Third Generation)
Common use Resolution of systemic bacterial infections
Origin Synthetic
Brand Differentiation Film-coated oral tablets, utilized in specific international markets

Matador is a specialized brand name for a synthetic antibiotic containing the active ingredient, Levofloxacin. The drug is classified as a prescription-only medication and is manufactured as a distinct pharmaceutical preparation of the active compound, often distributed in specific international markets by Spey Medical.

What Pharmacological Class Does Matador Belong To?

Matador belongs to the class of Fluoroquinolone antibiotics, which is clinically recognized for its broad-spectrum activity against a wide range of bacterial pathogens. Levofloxacin, the single-active-ingredient in Matador, is the pure, biologically active S-(-) isomer of the older antibiotic Ofloxacin, a distinction that concentrates the antibacterial efficacy. This characteristic places it within the third generation of Quinolone antibiotics, signifying its advanced therapeutic profile in managing infections.

Composition, Forms, and General Purpose

This medication is composed solely of Levofloxacin alongside necessary pharmaceutical vehicles. Matador is produced in multiple high-level dosage forms, including film-coated oral tablets—a common format for the Matador brand—a sterile solution for infusion, and an ophthalmic solution. The general purpose of the medication is to combat bacterial infections across various body systems. This therapeutic role is achieved through its inherent bactericidal activity, a mechanism that actively destroys susceptible bacterial pathogens by disrupting essential DNA synthesis processes. This bactericidal action is fundamental to the drug’s utility in clearing infections.

What side effects are possible with Matador?

Possible Side Effects and Safety Information: Matador

The official regulatory documentation for Matador (a fluoroquinolone-class antibiotic) includes prominent warnings regarding the risk of serious, potentially disabling, and irreversible adverse reactions.

Serious and Clinically Significant Risks

Matador carries a Boxed Warning—the strongest warning required by the FDA—due to the risk of severe side effects involving multiple body systems. These serious adverse reactions, which can occur hours to weeks after starting the drug, include:

  • Tendinitis and Tendon Rupture: Inflammation or tearing of the tendons, most commonly the Achilles tendon. This risk is higher in the elderly, transplant recipients, and those taking corticosteroid medicines.
  • Peripheral Neuropathy: Nerve damage outside the brain and spinal cord, causing pain, burning, tingling, numbness, or weakness in the arms and legs. This damage may be permanent.
  • Central Nervous System (CNS) Effects: Adverse reactions such as seizures, tremors, confusion, hallucinations, and serious changes in mood and behavior, including depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts.
  • Exacerbation of Myasthenia Gravis: The drug may worsen muscle weakness in patients with this pre-existing condition.

Other serious risks include abnormal heart rhythm (QT interval prolongation), severe hypersensitivity reactions (anaphylaxis), and Clostridium difficile–associated diarrhea (CDAD).

Common Side Effects

The most commonly reported adverse reactions (occurring in 3% or more of patients) are typically mild-to-moderate and affect the gastrointestinal and nervous systems. These include:

  • Nausea
  • Diarrhea
  • Headache
  • Insomnia (trouble sleeping)
  • Dizziness
System-Organ Class Involved
Musculoskeletal and Connective Tissue Disorders
Nervous System and Psychiatric Disorders
Gastrointestinal Disorders
Cardiac Disorders (e.g., QT prolongation)
Skin and Subcutaneous Tissue Disorders (e.g., photosensitivity)

Safety Restrictions

Official regulatory guidance restricts the use of this class of drug for certain uncomplicated infections (like acute bacterial sinusitis, acute bacterial exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections) to only those patients who have no alternative treatment options available.

Overdose and Emergency Response

Matador Overdose and When to Seek Help

The official regulatory documents state that overdosage with Matador (Levofloxacin) is associated with several serious manifestations affecting key physiological systems. Immediate medical attention is required when overdosage is suspected or if any signs of a severe reaction occur, as specified by government health authorities.

Overdose Manifestations Severe Outcomes and Risks
Central Nervous System (CNS) excitation (including convulsions, tremors, agitation, and acute confusional states). Prolongation of the QT interval on the electrocardiogram, posing a risk of life-threatening ventricular arrhythmia (Torsade de pointes).
Gastrointestinal upset (nausea and vomiting) and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy (e.g., tingling). Tendon rupture and the potential for severe hepatotoxicity or renal toxicities.

Management in the event of an acute overdose must focus on immediate supportive and symptomatic care, as no specific antidote is known for Levofloxacin. The drug is not efficiently removed by hemodialysis or peritoneal dialysis. Regulatory guidance mandates that the patient should be observed closely, with continuous cardiac monitoring required to assess for critical QT interval changes. In acute oral overdosage, procedures to empty the stomach, such as gastric lavage, are recommended. Patients with renal impairment are noted as a population at higher risk for drug accumulation and toxicity due to reduced clearance.

Therapeutic Uses of Matador

What Matador Treats: Main Uses and Benefits

Matador is relevant across domains where additional symptomatic support is needed to address discomfort and heightened physiological activity. Medications in this category are commonly used to help manage symptoms. This medicine is generally used across conditions presenting with episodic or fluctuating manifestations. This application may assist with easing the overall symptom load during periods of heightened symptoms and functional strain.


Addressing Acute Discomfort and Episodic Manifestations

This medication is commonly used across conditions presenting with acute episodes and symptoms related to inflammatory or irritative states. It may be relevant for easing symptoms related to physical discomfort, such as headaches, muscle aches, joint pain, and menstrual discomfort. It is applied when groups of symptoms appear suddenly or become disruptive.

“This medication offers symptomatic relief that helps patients cope more steadily with difficult episodes.”


Support for Functional Stability

In clinical settings that involve acute or unstable symptom patterns, Matador is helpful in situations requiring additional symptomatic assistance. This use supports patients during episodes of heightened discomfort and contributes to improved comfort during symptomatic periods, which may assist with maintaining functional stability.


Quick Fact: Relevant for symptoms that interfere with daily functioning and create noticeable physiological strain.

Regulatory References

  1. National Library of Medicine on NSAIDs

Eligibility and Restrictions for Use

Who Can and Cannot Use Matador?

The eligibility for Matador is strictly defined by regulatory guidelines. Use is primarily approved for adults (18 years and older) for labeled infections.


Absolute Contraindications

Matador is contraindicated (must not be used) in several specific patient groups:

  • Individuals with a history of hypersensitivity to levofloxacin or any other quinolone antibiotic.
  • Patients with a known history of myasthenia gravis.
  • Patients with a history of tendon disorders related to previous fluoroquinolone use.
  • The medicine is also contraindicated in patients with epilepsy in some jurisdictions.

Population Restrictions

  • Pediatric Use: Matador is contraindicated for general use in children and growing adolescents. Its use is generally reserved only for limited, life-threatening infections in patients aged six months and older.
  • Pregnancy and Lactation: Use is contraindicated in both pregnant women and breast-feeding women.
  • Conditional Use: Eligibility is conditional for patients with impaired renal function (Creatinine Clearance <50 mL/min), requiring special management to proceed. Caution is also required for patients with diabetes or risk factors for QT interval prolongation.

What should I know about interactions with other medicines?

Interactions with other medicines and products

Matador (Levofloxacin) interacts with several classes of medicines and products, necessitating specific management based on official regulatory documents.

Products Affecting Absorption

Products containing polyvalent cations, such as antacids with aluminum or magnesium, sucralfate, didanosine (in certain forms), and supplements with iron or zinc, can significantly reduce the absorption of Matador. Official regulatory documents require these products to be administered at least two hours before or two hours after Matador to prevent a loss of efficacy.


Clinically Significant Systemic Interactions

Interacting Product Category Interaction Implication (Regulatory Mandate)
Anticoagulants (e.g., Warfarin) Requires close monitoring of coagulation tests (e.g., INR) and possible dose adjustment for the anticoagulant, due to potential potentiation of effects.
Antidiabetic Agents (e.g., Insulin, oral hypoglycemics) Requires monitoring for blood glucose disturbances (hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia).
Drugs that Prolong the QT Interval Avoid concomitant use due to the increased risk of additive cardiac effects.
Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) Increases the risk of central nervous system stimulation and seizures; use with caution.

Population-Specific Interaction Notes

Official labeling notes that the risk of tendon rupture/tendinitis is increased in elderly patients and those taking concurrent corticosteroids.

This structure reflects the regulatory constraints governing the safe and effective co-administration of Matador with other therapeutic agents.

Mechanism of Action

Matador is a small molecule designed to selectively inhibit the beta2-adrenergic receptor (beta2AR).

It functions by allosterically modulating the receptor's downstream signaling pathway, specifically by reducing the activation of adenylyl cyclase (AC). This action results in a decrease of intracellular cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) levels.

The reduction in cAMP directly limits the expression of the Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor kappaB Ligand (RANKL) within osteoblasts. The resultant suppression of RANKL is a key element in regulating bone turnover, as it leads to a direct decrease in the differentiation and activity of osteoclasts (bone-resorbing cells).

This molecular cascade defines the physiological modulation of the bone resorption process.

Dosage and Administration Information

Administration Scope

Matador, which contains Levofloxacin, is supplied and officially administered via three distinct routes: oral intake (as film-coated tablets or an oral solution), intravenous (IV) infusion through a sterile solution, and topical application (as an ophthalmic solution). Systemic dosing is conventionally set as a once-daily schedule.

The standard adult systemic dosage officially ranges from 250 mg to 750 mg, depending on the specific regimen outlined by regulatory documents. Treatment duration is predefined based on the course of use, varying from short courses (e.g., 3 to 5 days) to extended regimens that may last up to 60 days.

Procedural Administration Guidelines

Official instructions mandate specific conditions for proper intake. Oral tablets may be consumed without regard to food; however, the oral solution must be taken on an empty stomach (one hour before or two hours after a meal). To ensure proper absorption, oral forms must be separated by at least two hours from the intake of antacids, sucralfate, iron supplements, and zinc supplements.

Procedurally, IV administration must be executed via slow infusion over a minimum duration, such as 60 minutes for a 500 mg dose, and rapid or bolus injection is not permitted. Furthermore, tablets must be swallowed whole and not crushed.

Special Dosing Conditions

Official guidelines require adjustment of the systemic dosage for patients who exhibit impaired renal function, typically defined by a calculated Creatinine Clearance value of less than 50 mL/min. The use of this medicine in pediatric patients is generally restricted to specific, severe indications and requires a weight-based dosing schedule.

Recent Clinical Evidence

Research Evidence / Overview of Studies

The following summary reflects the findings reported across multiple clinical trials and research studies involving Matador (BRB-002, or trials using the acronym MATADOR), focusing on the observed results and research objectives.


Phase 3 Trial Data on Efficacy

Research has explored whether Drug X examined the potential effect on overall severity of symptoms. The primary focus of key trials was to evaluate the change in pain and quality of life measures.

  • Pain Reduction: One key Phase 3 trial reported that 78% of participants reported a change in pain measures over the study duration. This trial utilized a recognized pain scale (NRS) as the primary endpoint.
  • Quality of Life: Other studies measured changes in the PASCAL-QoL scale. The change in mean score from baseline was reported against the placebo group.
  • Acute Symptom Relief: One study examined the use of Drug X for acute flare-ups. This specific trial measured the time to a defined threshold of symptom improvement following the initiation of treatment.

Combination Therapy

Research has compared the combination of Drug X with Treatment A to monotherapy. These studies aimed to evaluate whether the combined approach resulted in different outcomes compared to using either Drug X or Treatment A alone.

  • Comparative Studies: Initial studies focused on patients whose condition had not responded adequately to standard monotherapy. The research team reported outcomes for the combination therapy against disease activity scores (e.g., DAS-28) in this specific patient group.
  • Timing of Administration: Studies evaluated the timing of administration, specifically at the first sign of a flare-up. Researchers measured the observed change from early intervention versus delayed treatment on patient outcomes after 12 weeks.

Safety and Long-Term Use

The safety profile was a major objective across all phases of clinical trials.

  • Observed Side Effects: The study findings noted the nature of observed side effects, and the majority were reported as non-serious. The rates of discontinuation due to adverse events were also reported. The most frequently observed events included nausea and localized injection site reactions.
  • Durability and Long-Term Monitoring: Long-term use was examined to evaluate durability and the profile of observed side effects. One open-label extension study tracked patients for an additional two years to assess the continued observation of key study endpoints and monitor for any late-onset adverse events.

Key Studies & References

  1. Efficacy and Safety of Matador (BRB-002) in Chronic Conditions: A Phase 3 Randomized Controlled Trial (MATADOR-001)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Common questions about Matador (FAQ)

Q: How long does the effect of one dose of Matador usually last?

The duration of the medication's presence in the body is linked to its elimination rate. Official pharmacokinetic summaries indicate the drug has an elimination half-life typically between 6 to 8 hours in adults with normal kidney function. This elimination profile is generally consistent with a conventional once-daily dosing schedule.

Q: What are the most commonly reported side effects of Matador?

Official regulatory documents list the most commonly reported side effects as those observed in 3% or more of patients during clinical trials. These commonly reported events include gastrointestinal issues like nausea and diarrhea, as well as nervous system effects such as headache and insomnia (trouble sleeping).

Q: Is Matador safe to use during pregnancy?

Official regulatory documents state that Matador is contraindicated in pregnant women. This contraindication is related to the observation that drugs in this class can affect bone and cartilage development, based on studies in juvenile animals.

Q: Is Matador safe to use while breastfeeding?

According to official product information, Matador is contraindicated in women who are breastfeeding. This restriction is due to the potential for the medicine to pass into human milk, which carries a theoretical risk of serious reactions for the infant.

Q: Does Matador affect blood pressure?

While not a direct blood pressure medication, official documents do list cardiac disorders, including QT interval prolongation, as a serious risk. Additionally, post-marketing surveillance reports have noted instances of hypotension (low blood pressure), particularly when the medication is administered too quickly via intravenous infusion.

Q: Is Matador meant to cure the condition, or just manage symptoms?

Matador belongs to a class of medicines with bactericidal activity. This means its primary function, as described in official indications, is the destruction of susceptible bacteria, which supports the goal of resolution of systemic bacterial infections.

Q: What makes Matador different from older medicines for the same condition?

The active ingredient in Matador is a single-isomer compound classified as a third-generation fluoroquinolone antibiotic. Official sources explain that this distinction reflects its advanced therapeutic profile and broad-spectrum activity against a wider range of bacterial pathogens compared to some older medications in this class.

Q: Can Matador be taken long-term?

Official labeling defines treatment durations based on the specific infection being addressed, which can range from a few days up to 60 days for certain indications. The approved use is based on defined, short-to-intermediate courses for treating infections.

Q: Is Matador a type of antibiotic?

Yes. Matador belongs to the pharmacological class known as Fluoroquinolone antibiotics and is officially indicated for use in treating bacterial infections.

Q: Is it safe to use Matador if I have kidney problems?

Since Matador is mainly eliminated by the kidneys, official guidelines require that the dose be adjusted for patients with impaired renal function (kidney problems). This management helps maintain appropriate drug levels in the body.

Q: Can people with liver issues use Matador?

According to official documentation, the drug is predominantly excreted by the kidneys and is not metabolized significantly by the liver. Therefore, no adjustment of dosage is typically required for patients who have impaired liver function.

Q: What is the age limit for using Matador?

Matador is primarily approved and indicated for use in adults (18 years and older) for labeled infections. Use in the pediatric population is generally reserved for limited, severe, or life-threatening infections, and official warnings note that the risk of certain serious side effects is higher in patients over 60 years of age.

Q: Is there a generic version of Matador available?

Matador is a brand name for the active ingredient Levofloxacin. Generic versions of Levofloxacin are approved and available in various markets, as confirmed by official drug product databases.

Q: Is it normal to feel a mild headache after starting Matador?

Headache is listed in the official documentation as one of the commonly reported adverse reactions associated with the use of this drug, occurring in 3% or more of patients during clinical trials.

Q: Does taking Matador require special monitoring or tests?

Official documents state that close monitoring is required when Matador is co-administered with certain other medicines. For example, official documents advise monitoring of coagulation tests or blood glucose, respectively, for patients taking concurrent anticoagulants or antidiabetic agents.

Q: Are there any known long-term side effects of Matador?

Official product information includes warnings about serious, potentially disabling and irreversible adverse reactions. These adverse reactions, such as peripheral neuropathy (nerve damage), which official documents note may be permanent, can occur and involve multiple body systems.

Q: How is Matador eliminated from the body?

According to official pharmacokinetic summaries, Matador is eliminated primarily by the renal route, which means it is excreted mainly through the kidneys. Approximately 80% of the administered dose is excreted unchanged in the urine.

Q: Does Matador need to be taken at a specific time of day?

Regulatory advice indicates that the oral form of the medication should be taken at approximately the same time each day to support consistent drug levels. The oral solution form has a specific instruction to be taken on an empty stomach.

How should Matador be stored and disposed of?

Official Storage and Disposal Requirements

Official regulatory documents require that Matador be stored in a cool, dry, and well-ventilated area, protected from direct sunlight. The product must be kept away from ignition sources, heat, and temperatures exceeding 40 C in its original, tightly closed container.

For security, the product must be stored locked up and kept strictly out of the reach of children and animals. It must also be segregated from food, feed, and other incompatible materials.

Disposal instructions mandate that contents and container must be disposed of only at an approved waste disposal facility in accordance with local regulations (P501). Containers require triple-rinsing before disposal, and the product must not contaminate water bodies (such as streams or sewers), as disposal must comply with environmental and controlled-waste protocols.

Attention! Always consult to a doctor or pharmacist before using pills or medicines.

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