EFFICACY AND TOLERABILITY OF CLARITHROMYCIN IN THE SHORT-COURSE TREATMENT OF ACUTE RESPIRATORY-TRACT INFECTIONS

In an open multicentre drug monitoring study, 1591 patients with clinical respiratory tract infections were treated with clarithromycin. The prescribing physicians examined each patient at study entry, at day 5, and at a subsequent visit if additional therapy was required. After 5 days' therapy, treatment was deemed clinically successful in the following number of diagnoses: tonsillitis 234 (89.7%); pharyngitis 204 (85%); sinusitis 388 (86.6%); and acute bronchitis 640 (89%). Patients with pneumonia and with acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis were in general given a more conventional duration of therapy. At the end of therapy, clinical success with clarithromycin was greater than 95% for all indications. Tolerability of clarithromycin was excellent: only 1. 5% of all patients enrolled reported an adverse event, and only 10 patients (0.6%) discontinued therapy as a result of an adverse event. Thus, clarithromycin is an effective and well tolerated new antibiotic, which may be useful in short-course therapy for respiratory tract infections.