To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: DG DISPATCH - ICMASC: Clarithromycin Tops Azithromycin For Pharyngitis, Tonsillitis URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/15ECC2.htm Doctor's Guide January 27, 2000
By Jill Stein Special to DG News
SEVILLE, SPAIN -- January 27, 2000 -- The macrolide antibiotic, clarithromycin, may be a wiser choice of treatment than azithromycin for patients with pharyngitis and/or tonsillitis due to Streptococcus pyogenes, investigators reported at the 5th International Conference on the Macrolides, Azalides, Streptogramins, Ketolides and Oxazolidinones (ICMASC).
Dr. W. Manford Gooch, of Medical Research Associates, in Salt Lake City, Utah, presented the results of a study in which 525 patients who were randomized to receive either clarithromycin (250 mg twice daily for ten days), or azithromycin (250 mg twice daily on day one and 250 mg once daily for four additional days). All patients were younger than 12 years of age and had streptococcal pharyngitis and/or tonsillitis of proven S. pyogenes etiology. Patients were all seen as outpatients. Those who received clarithromycin were evaluated to determine if they were cured of S. pyogenes during their second visit, while azithromycin-treated patients were evaluated during their third visit.
Tonsillopharyngitis is one of the most common infections worldwide, especially in children and young adults, and is usually due to S. pyogenes, Dr. Gooch said. For the last four decades, the standard treatment for bacterial pharyngitis/tonsillitis has been a ten day course of oral penicillin. Recently, however, penicillin failures have occurred more frequently and other antibiotics have shown similar or better eradication rates.
In the present study, patients who received clarithromycin had a statistically significantly higher bacteriological eradication rate than patients who received azithromycin at the test-of-cure visit. Specifically, the bacteriological eradication rates were 94 percent and 77 percent in the two groups, respectively. The clinical cure rate was 98 percent in the clarithromycin group and 90 percent in the azithromycin group, and the difference between the two groups was also statistically significant.
Adverse events that could possibly be ascribed to the study medications were similar in the clarithromycin and azithromycin groups.
Dr. Gooch said that the results show that clarithromycin is superior to azithromycin for the eradication of S. pyogenes and in clinical response. Both clarithromycin and azithromycin were found to be safe and well tolerated. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.