title: A comparison of a five-day regimen of cefdinir with a seven-day regimen of loracarbef for the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis.
abstract: To compare the efficacy and safety of five-day cefdinir treatment with seven-day loracarbef treatment in patients with acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis, 586 patients were enrolled in a multicentre, randomised, double-blind trial. Patients received either five days of treatment with cefdinir (n = 291) at 300 mg twice daily or seven days of treatment with loracarbef (n = 295) at 400 mg twice daily. Microbiological assessments were done on sputum specimens obtained at admission and at the two post-therapy visits, if available. The clinical cure rates were 86% (138/160) and 85% (141/166) for the evaluable patients treated with cefdinir and loracarbef, respectively. Respiratory tract pathogens were isolated from 457 (78%) of 586 admission sputum specimens, with the predominant pathogens being Haemophilus parainfluenzae, H. influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis and Staphylococcus aureus. The microbiological eradication rates at the test-of-cure visit were 88% (193/219 pathogens) and 90% (227/251 pathogens) for the evaluable patients treated with cefdinir and loracarbef, respectively. Adverse event rates while on treatment were 30% and 21% for cefdinir- and loracarbef-treated patients, respectively. These results indicate that a five-day regimen of cefdinir is effective and safe for the treatment of patients with acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis.
authors.affiliation: Dean Medical Center, Oregon, Wisconsin, USA.
authors.forename: R Z
authors.initials: RZ
authors.lastname: Paster
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: McAdoo
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Keyserling
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Nemeth
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Tack
authors.forename: T J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Griffin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D001991:Bronchitis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology; D000077525:Cefdinir; D002511:Cephalosporins / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013183:Sputum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000382:microbiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000890:Anti-Infective Agents; D002511:Cephalosporins; C054920:loracarbef; D000077525:Cefdinir