Bronchitis Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Bronchitis, including details on pulmonary disorders, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, prevention.

Clinical and bacteriological efficacy in treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis with cefditoren-pivoxil versus cefuroxime-axetil.

Alvarez-Sala JL, Kardos P, Martínez-Beltrán J, Coronel P, Aguilar L

Microbiology Department, School of Medicine, Universidad Complutense, Avda. Complutense s/n, 28040 Madrid, Spain.

A randomized, double-blind, double-dummy trial was performed comparing 200 mg of cefditoren-pivoxil twice daily for 5 days versus standard cefuroxime-axetil treatment (250 mg twice daily for 10 days) of Anthonisen type I or II acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. The modified intention-to-treat population included 541 patients. Patients were assessed during therapy, at the end of therapy (visit 3; primary evaluation time point), and at follow-up. Clinical success was obtained in 79.9% of the 264 patients included in the cefditoren-pivoxil group and in 82.7% of the 277 patients in the cefuroxime-axetil group (treatment difference, 95% confidence interval [CI]: -2.8, -9.7 to 3.6%). Treatment clinical effects were more clearly seen in sputum signs (decreasing volume and purulence from approximately 80% to approximately 10% of the patients). At the end of treatment, exploratory analysis of the per-pathogen bacteriological response showed 72.8% (of 103 isolates) in the cefditoren-pivoxil arm versus 67.0% (of 94 isolates) in the cefuroxime-axetil group (treatment difference; 95% CI: 5.8, -7.0 to 18.6%). Globally, the per-pathogen bacteriological response correlated well with clinical success: 83.5% of 164 baseline isolates from patients with a clinical success were eradicated or presumably eradicated, in contrast to only 3% of 33 isolates from patients with a clinical failure. Clinical success in patients infected with Haemophilus influenzae, the most frequent isolate, was 84% (of 50) and 82.5% (of 40) (treatment difference; 95% CI: 1.5, -14 to 17%) in the cefditoren-pivoxil versus the cefuroxime-axetil group. Although this study does not prove that either drug is better than a placebo, cefditoren-pivoxil and the standard 10-day cefuroxime-axetil course had similar point estimates of success in acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis.

Published 27 April 2006 in Antimicrob Agents Chemother, 50(5): 1762-7.
Full-text of this article is available online (may require subscription).

© 2005-2008 Bronchitis Research Today. All Rights Reserved.