title: Comparison of the safety and efficacy of lomefloxacin and amoxicillin in the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis: Results from a Latin American multicenter study.
abstract: The aim of this study was to compare the safety and efficacy of lomefloxacin, a new difluornated quinolone, with those of amoxicillin in the treatment of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis caused by Gram-negative bacteria. The study was conducted as a multicenter, randomized, single-blind comparison in four countries (Argentina, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela). In total, 163 evaluable patients were assessed-82 in the lomefloxacin group and 81 in the amoxicillin group. Patients received oral therapy with either 40 mg lomefloxacin once daily or 500 mg amoxicillin three times daily for 10 days. The most frequent bacterial pathogens isolated included: Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Klebsiella pneumoniae. The overall clinical success rates (cure plus improvement) were 93.9% in the lomefloxacin group and 81.5% in the amoxicillin group. The eradication rate was 81.7% in the lomefloxacin group and 75.3% in the amoxicillin group. Most of the clinical and bacteriological failures in both groups were associated with P. aeruginosa in baseline sputum cultures. In conclusion, once-daily lomefloxacin is a safe and effective treatment for acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis caused by Gram-negative pathogens.
authors.affiliation: Infectious Diseases Division, Hospital Universitario, 'Jose Eleuterio Gonzales', Monterrey, Mexico.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Saenz-Aguirre
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Amaya-Tapia
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Andrade-Villanueva
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Perez-Gomez
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Morfin-Otero
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rodriguez-Noriega