cefuroxime-axetil and Pneumonia

Cefprozil was evaluated in four multicentre comparative studies in the treatment of acute respiratory tract infections. In two studies, cefprozil 500 mg q. 12 hours was compared to cefaclor 500 mg q. eight hours for ten days of therapy. Randomization was on a 2:1 (cefprozil:cefaclor) basis in the European centres and 1:1 in North America. The clinical efficacy in acute bronchitis was 88% (284 out of 324 patients) for cefprozil and 88% (183 out of 208) for cefaclor, with successful bacteriological eradication of the causative pathogen in 86% and 82% of the patients, respectively. Amongst the patients with acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis, the clinical response rate of 80% (59 out of 74) for cefprozil appeared superior to that of cefaclor at 62% (p = 0.067), whilst the bacteriological response rates were 62% (36 out of 58) for cefprozil and 74% (20 out of 27) for cefaclor. In pneumonia, the clinical response rates for cefprozil and cefaclor therapy were similar, 82% vs. 79%, although bacteriological eradication rates were better for cefprozil at 82% than for cefaclor at 71%. In the comparison of cefprozil with cefuroxime axetil, a total of 170 patients were evaluable. The clinical and bacteriological response rates for cefprozil of 95% and 100% were better than those for cefuroxime axetil 500 mg q. 12 hours of 84% and 75%, respectively. In the cefprozil vs. amoxicillin-clavulanate, 500 mg q. eight hours comparative study, the two antibiotics displayed no significant difference in clinical or bacteriological responses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Amoxicillin; Amoxicillin-Potassium Clavulanate Combination; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacterial Infections; Bronchitis; Cefaclor; Cefprozil; Cefuroxime; Cephalosporins; Clavulanic Acids; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Humans; Male; Multicenter Studies as Topic; Pneumonia; Prodrugs; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Respiratory Tract Infections

To compare therapeutic outcome and perform a cost-benefit analysis of inpatients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) treated with a shortened course of i.v. antibiotic therapy.. A prospective, randomized, parallel group study with a follow-up period of 28 days.. Bronx Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) and the Castle Point VAMC; university-affiliated VAMC general medical wards from September 1993 to March 1995.. Seventy-two male veterans and 1 female veteran with 75 episodes of CAP defined by a new infiltrate on chest radiograph and either history or physical findings consistent with pneumonia. Study population was 42%(31) black, 33%(24) white, and 25%(18) Hispanic.. Patients were randomized (1:1:1) to 1 of 3 treatment groups: group 1 received 2 days of i.v. and 8 days of oral therapy; group 2 received 5 days of i.v. and 5 days of oral therapy; and group 3 received 10 days of i.v. therapy. Antibiotics consisted of cefuroxime, 750 mg every 8 h for the i.v. course, and cefuroxime axetil, 500 mg every 12 h for the oral therapy.. No differences were found in the clinical course, cure rates, or resolution of chest radiograph abnormalities among the three groups. A significant difference was found in the length of stay (LOS) among the three groups. The mean +/- SD LOS was 6 +/- 3 days in group 1, 8 +/- 2 days in group 2, and 11 +/- 1 days in group 3. The shortened LOS could potentially save $95.5 million for the Department of Veterans Affairs and $2.9 billion for the US private sector.. Adult patients hospitalized for CAP who are not severely ill can be successfully treated with an abbreviated (2-day) course of i.v. antibiotics and then switched to oral therapy. A longer course of i.v. therapy prolongs hospital stay and cost, without improving the therapeutic cure rate.

Topics: Adult; Aged; Cefuroxime; Cephalosporins; Community-Acquired Infections; Cost-Benefit Analysis; Female; Humans; Length of Stay; Male; Middle Aged; Pneumonia; Prospective Studies; Time Factors

Cefprozil was evaluated in four multicentre comparative studies in the treatment of acute respiratory tract infections. In two studies, cefprozil 500 mg q. 12 hours was compared to cefaclor 500 mg q. eight hours for ten days of therapy. Randomization was on a 2:1 (cefprozil:cefaclor) basis in the European centres and 1:1 in North America. The clinical efficacy in acute bronchitis was 88% (284 out of 324 patients) for cefprozil and 88% (183 out of 208) for cefaclor, with successful bacteriological eradication of the causative pathogen in 86% and 82% of the patients, respectively. Amongst the patients with acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis, the clinical response rate of 80% (59 out of 74) for cefprozil appeared superior to that of cefaclor at 62% (p = 0.067), whilst the bacteriological response rates were 62% (36 out of 58) for cefprozil and 74% (20 out of 27) for cefaclor. In pneumonia, the clinical response rates for cefprozil and cefaclor therapy were similar, 82% vs. 79%, although bacteriological eradication rates were better for cefprozil at 82% than for cefaclor at 71%. In the comparison of cefprozil with cefuroxime axetil, a total of 170 patients were evaluable. The clinical and bacteriological response rates for cefprozil of 95% and 100% were better than those for cefuroxime axetil 500 mg q. 12 hours of 84% and 75%, respectively. In the cefprozil vs. amoxicillin-clavulanate, 500 mg q. eight hours comparative study, the two antibiotics displayed no significant difference in clinical or bacteriological responses.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Topics: Adolescent; Adult; Amoxicillin; Amoxicillin-Potassium Clavulanate Combination; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Bacterial Infections; Bronchitis; Cefaclor; Cefprozil; Cefuroxime; Cephalosporins; Clavulanic Acids; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Humans; Male; Multicenter Studies as Topic; Pneumonia; Prodrugs; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Respiratory Tract Infections

In a large multinational study, the clinical and bacteriological efficacy of intravenous cefuroxime 750 mg t.i.d. followed by oral cefuroxime axetil 500 mg b.i.d. was compared to that of amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid (CA) administered as 1.2 g intravenously t.i.d. followed by 625 mg orally t.i.d. in the treatment of lower respiratory tract infections in hospitalised patients. A total of 512 patients were entered (256 in each treatment group). All were suffering from pneumonia or acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis or bronchiectasis and required initial parenteral antibiotic therapy. Parenteral therapy lasted 48 to 72 h and was followed by five days of oral therapy. The clinical responses in the two treatment groups were very similar: 223 of 256 (87.1%) patients were cured or improved with cefuroxime/cefuroxime axetil compared to 220 of 256 (85.9%) with amoxicillin/CA. Positive pre-treatment sputum samples were obtained from 44% of the patients. Clearance rates obtained were again similar: 72.8% with cefuroxime/cefuroxime axetil and 70% with amoxicillin/CA. Ten percent of the isolates were beta-lactamase producers, similar numbers of which were cleared in both groups. Both regimens were generally well tolerated, with only 5% of patients treated with the cefuroxime regimen and 4.3% of patients treated with amoxicillin/CA experiencing drug-related adverse events. Cefuroxime/cefuroxime axetil "follow-on" therapy produces clinical and bacteriological efficacy equivalent to that of amoxicillin/CA, with the advantage of twice daily oral administration.

Topics: Administration, Oral; Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Amoxicillin; Amoxicillin-Potassium Clavulanate Combination; Bronchiectasis; Bronchitis; Cefuroxime; Clavulanic Acids; Drug Therapy, Combination; Female; Humans; Injections, Intravenous; Male; Middle Aged; Pneumonia; Prodrugs; Respiratory Tract Infections

Cefuroxime axetil was compared with cefaclor for the therapy for lower respiratory tract infections. Sixty-one patients were randomized to receive the following drug dosages: (1) cefuroxime axetil, 250 mg orally every 12 hours (21 patients); (2) cefuroxime axetil, 500 mg orally every 12 hours (21 patients); and (3) cefaclor, 500 mg orally every eight hours (19 patients). Of these 61 patients, 80% were male, with a mean age of 59.5 years; 56% had acute pneumonia, and the remainder had an acute bronchitis. Causative pathogens included typical respiratory tract pathogens. Overall, 23 of 27 patients with bronchitis were clinically cured at the end of therapy. Thirty-one of 34 pneumonias were clinically cured or improved at the end of therapy; the three pneumonia treatment failures occurred in the lower dose cefuroxime (n = 2) and cefaclor (n = 1) treatment groups. Overall, bacteriologic cure occurred in 86% of patients treated with 500 mg of cefuroxime axetil compared with 60% of cefaclor-treated patients. Adverse clinical effects were uncommon. From this study, it was concluded that cefuroxime given every 12 hours is at least as clinically efficacious as cefaclor; it is a new oral cephalosporin with pharmacologic and bacterial spectrum advantages over many older agents.

Topics: Acute Disease; Administration, Oral; Adult; Aged; Bacterial Infections; Bronchitis; Cefaclor; Cefuroxime; Cephalexin; Cephalosporins; Clinical Trials as Topic; Drug Therapy; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Pneumonia; Prodrugs; Random Allocation; Respiratory Tract Infections

Topics: Administration, Oral; Aza Compounds; Ceftriaxone; Cefuroxime; Cross Infection; Fluoroquinolones; Humans; Moxifloxacin; Pneumonia; Quinolines