TUESDAY, June 3 (HealthScoutNews) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Levaquin (levofloxacin) to treat recurrent infection of the prostate gland known as chronic bacterial prostatitis (CBP), according to the drug's marketer, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical Inc.

CBP is among the top reasons for men visiting urologists, and as many as 35 percent of men over 50 may have the condition, the drug maker says.

CBP can be caused by a number of bacteria, including Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis or Staphylococcus epidemidis. Accounting for some 2 million outpatient visits every year, the condition's symptoms include increase in the urge to urinate, difficulty or pain while urinating, chills, fever, and lower-back pain.

Levaquin, first marketed in 1997, is also FDA-approved to treat several types of pneumonia, urinary tract infections, sinusitis, and bronchitis.

Visit the Levaquin Web site for more information about the drug. For more about CBP, check the National Library of Medicine.