Clarithromycin versus cefaclor in lower respiratory tract infections

I.W. Fong
J. Laforge
J. Dubois
D. Small
R. Grossman
R. Zakhari
and the Canadian Bronchitis Study Group

St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario; Hôpital Laval, Sainte-Foy, Quebec; Centre Hospitalier Hôtel-Dieu, Sherbrooke, Quebec; Jewish General Hospital, Montreal, Quebec; Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Ontario; and Abbott Laboratories, Ltd, Montreal, Quebec

(Original manuscript submitted 6/1/94; received in revised form 14/10/94; accepted 18/10/94)

Abstract

A randomized study was done to compare the efficacy of clarithromycin 250 mg or 500 mg b.i.d., vs. cefaclor 250 mg or 500 mg t.i.d. for 7-14 d in 197 evaluable patients with lower respiratory tract infection. Ninety-five patients received clarithromycin, 88 with acute bronchitis or exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, and 7 with pneumonia. One hundred and two patients received cefaclor, 86 with bronchitis and 16 with pneumonia. Ten patients (10.5%) in the clarithromycin group did not complete the trial, 5 (5.3%) because of adverse event and 3 (3.2%) because of clinical failure. Similarly, 11 patients (10.8%) did not complete cefaclor, 2 (2%) because of adverse event and 7 (6.9%) because of clinical failure. Clinical cure or improvement was observed in 90 (94.7%) of patients on clarithromycin vs. 92 (90.2%) on cefaclor, p = 0.66. Bacteriologic cure was seen in 26/36 patients (72.2%) on clarithromycin vs. 28/40 patients (70%) on cefaclor, p = 0.28. Clarithromycin is just as effective as cefaclor for lower respiratory tract infections and is well tolerated.

Clin Invest Med 1995; 18 (2): 131-138

Table of contents: CIM vol. 18, no. 2