What Is Ciprofloxacin/Fluocinolone? Uses, Dosage, and What You Need to Know in 2026

If your child has ear tubes (tympanostomy tubes) and has developed an ear infection, you may have been prescribed a medication called ciprofloxacin/fluocinolone — or its brand name, Otovel. This guide explains what this medication is, what condition it treats, how to use it correctly, and what to expect during the 7-day treatment course.

What Is Ciprofloxacin/Fluocinolone (Otovel)?

Ciprofloxacin/fluocinolone is a combination prescription ear drop that contains two active ingredients:

Ciprofloxacin (0.3%): A fluoroquinolone antibiotic that kills bacteria by interfering with enzymes (DNA gyrase and topoisomerase IV) they need to replicate and repair their DNA

Fluocinolone acetonide (0.025%): A medium-strength corticosteroid that reduces inflammation, swelling, redness, and pain in the ear

The brand name is Otovel, manufactured by Laboratorios Salvat and Arbor Pharmaceuticals. It was first approved by the FDA on April 29, 2016. A generic version (ciprofloxacin-fluocinolone acetonide PF) is also available.

What Is Ciprofloxacin/Fluocinolone Used For?

Ciprofloxacin/fluocinolone (Otovel) has one FDA-approved indication:

Acute otitis media with tympanostomy tubes (AOMT) in pediatric patients aged 6 months and older.

AOMT is a middle ear infection that occurs in children who have had tympanostomy tubes placed in their eardrums. When infection occurs, fluid or pus drains through the tube and out of the ear (otorrhea). Ciprofloxacin/fluocinolone is specifically designed to treat these infections caused by the following bacteria: Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

What Does Ciprofloxacin/Fluocinolone Come As?

Otovel is unique among ear drops in that it comes as 14 individual sterile single-dose vials packed in a foil pouch. Each vial delivers 0.25 mL of solution (0.75 mg ciprofloxacin + 0.0625 mg fluocinolone acetonide). The solution is:

Preservative-free

Sterile

Clear solution (no shaking required, unlike some otic suspensions)

For otic (ear) use only — not for eyes or injection

How Do You Use Ciprofloxacin/Fluocinolone?

The standard dosing regimen for Otovel is:

1 single-dose vial (0.25 mL) instilled into the affected ear(s) twice daily (approximately every 12 hours) for 7 days

Step-by-step administration instructions:

Wash your hands with soap and water

Gently clean any visible discharge from the outer ear with a clean cloth — do not put anything in the ear canal

Hold the vial in your hand for 1–2 minutes to warm it (prevents dizziness from cold fluid)

Lay your child on their side with the affected ear facing up

Twist off the vial cap and let the entire dose flow into the ear canal

Pump the tragus (small flap at the ear opening) inward 4 times using a gentle pumping motion — this helps the medication reach the middle ear through the tube

Keep the ear facing upward for 1 minute

Discard the used vial — each vial is single-use only

How Well Does It Work?

In two randomized controlled trials involving 662 pediatric patients, ciprofloxacin/fluocinolone significantly outperformed both components alone:

Combination: Median time to cessation of otorrhea = 2.9 days

Ciprofloxacin alone: 4.4 days

Fluocinolone alone: 3.6 days

Who Should NOT Use Ciprofloxacin/Fluocinolone?

Children allergic to ciprofloxacin, other quinolones, fluocinolone acetonide, or other corticosteroids

Patients with viral ear canal infections (varicella/chicken pox, herpes simplex)

Patients with fungal ear infections

Key Points to Remember

Warm each vial before use — prevents dizziness

Complete the full 7-day course — don't stop early

For ear use only — not for eyes or injection

Store at room temperature (68–77°F); keep in the foil pouch until use

To learn more about how this medication works, see: How Does Ciprofloxacin/Fluocinolone Work? Mechanism of Action Explained.