Source: DGNews  |  Posted 9 years ago

MONTREAL, QC -- December 19, 2002 -- Pfizer Canada Inc. today announced Health Canada's approval of a new three-day pediatric oral dosing regimen for its antibiotic Zithromax (azithromycin dihydrate) in the treatment of acute otitis media (AOM) - middle ear infections - in children age six months and older. The liquid antibiotic, administered once a day for three days, offers parents a more convenient way to treat AOM.

"An antibiotic that can be prescribed for three days is a tremendous benefit to physicians and parents alike," says Dr. Mickey Lester, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Toronto, and consultant pediatrician, Hospital for Sick Children and Trillium Health Centre. "Administering medicine to kids can be challenging. Surveys show more than half of kids stop taking their medication by the third day of treatment and up to 82 percent by the ninth day. Being able to prescribe an antibiotic that can be taken safely and effectively for three days may help improve compliance."

Compliance benefits children and their parents but also helps address a serious public health concern, Dr. Lester added. "When patients don't take their full course of antibiotics, they may not only experience a recurrence of their infection but may also contribute to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria."

In a study conducted in children age 6 months to 12 years, the Zithromax 3-day dosing regimen resulted in an overall clinical success rate of 83 percent in treating the signs and symptoms of AOM. The type and incidence of side effects seen with the 3-day dosing were comparable to those seen with the traditional 5-day regimen of Zithromax.

In a separate study of children age 4 to 12 years, a large majority preferred the cherry taste of Zithromax to the taste of Cefzil