[Efficacy and safety of telithromycin in the treatment of acute maxillary sinusitis].
The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerance of 5 days of telithromycin (800 mg once a day) in the treatment of bacteriologically proven acute maxillary sinusitis (AMS).


METHODS
Two hundred and sixty-three patients with a clinically diagnosed AMS and purulent rhinorrhea were included in this prospective, multicenter, non-comparative open-labeled French study. Pus was sampled from the middle meatus before inclusion. The bacterial origin of the infection was confirmed by a scientific committee (presence of leucocytes/bacteria on direct microscopic examination of pus, and positive culture).


RESULTS
Seven to 14 days after the end of the treatment the clinical success rate (cure and improvement) was 91% (63/69 patients) in the per protocol bacteriologically documented (PPb) population and 90% (231/257 patients) in the modified intent-to-treat population. The main strains identified in the 69 patients of PPb population were Streptococcus pneumoniae (47.8%, of which 15 strains with reduced susceptibility to penicillin and 15 erythromycin resistant strains), Haemophilus influenzae (14.5%), Branhamella catarrhalis (8.7%) and Streptococcus aureus (29.0%). Drug tolerance was assessed on 263 patients as satisfactory with mainly gastro-intestinal disorders considered to be related to the treatment in 7.6% of patients. No serious adverse event related to the study drug was reported.


CONCLUSIONS
The efficacy of telithromycin 800 mg once daily for 5 days is confirmed in the treatment of AMS, even for those due to S. Pneumoniae.
Dubreuil
C
C
Service ORL, hôpital Lyon-Sud, 165, chemin Grand-Revoyet, 69495 Pierre-Benite cedex, France. christian.dubreuil@chu-lyon.fr
Ebbo
D
D
Goldstein
F
F
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000145:classification / Q000188:drug therapy; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D006801:Humans; D048628:Ketolides / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008297:Male; D015523:Maxillary Sinusitis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D012008:Recurrence; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012449:Safety
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D048628:Ketolides; C106791:telithromycin