Quinolones are preferred for their wide therapeutic range to treat infections of respiratory tract, urinary tract, etc. Birth of these antibiotics occurred in 1960’s while George Lescher and coworkers identified them as effective antibiotics while working on the synthesis of antimalarial drug.

Then evolved various generations of these antibiotics with the fluorine substitution at the position 6 or 7, making them have more advantages, pharmacokinetic benefits and extended spectrum of activity over the earlier generation quinolones.

However, limitations in the use of these class of antibiotics in children and the elderly occurred due to various adverse drug reaction that were caused by them. The seriousness of these adverse drug reactions caused by fluoroquinolones led to the withdrawal of these preparations from the market while, their use is still being considered on weighing the risk benefit ratio in some of the chronic infections including tuberculosis and in conditions with multidrug resistance.