[Comparison of the clinical effectiveness of three neuraminidase inhibitors for Japanese pediatric patients with influenza in the 2013/2014 season].

We investigated the clinical symptoms of 206 pediatric patients with influenza virus infection and compared them among oseltamivir-treated, zanamivir-treated, and laninamivir-treated groups in 2013/2014 influenza season. The drug compliance of each neuraminidase inhibitor was good in all three groups. Although the duration of fever after administration of the first dose of each neuraminidase inhibitor were significantly prolonged in the patient with influenza B infection than in the patient with influenza A infection, no statistically significant difference in the clinical efficacy and the side effect among three groups were found. The number of biphasic fever episodes in patients treated with neuraminidase inhibitor was rare (two episodes of oseltamivir-treated group and one episode of zanamivir-treated group). In conclusion, under the good drug compliance, the efficacy of all three neuraminidase inhibitor was the same for the treatment of influenza virus infection in children.

Comparison of clinical efficacy between 3-day combined clavulanate/amoxicillin preparation treatment and 10-day amoxicillin treatment in children with pharyngolaryngitis or tonsillitis.

The efficacy of 3-day treatment with a combined clavulanate/amoxicillin preparation (Clavamox combination dry syrup for pediatric cases) and 10-day treatment with amoxicillin against pediatric pharyngolaryngitis and tonsillitis caused by Group A ß-hemolytic Streptococcus was compared. Among the patients included in the efficacy evaluation (54 from the clavulanate/amoxicillin group and 43 from the amoxicillin group), the clinical response rate on completion of treatment was 98.1 % in the clavulanate/amoxicillin group and 92.9 % in the amoxicillin group, thus supporting the equivalent efficacy of these two therapies. The Group A ß-hemolytic Streptococcus eradication rate at approximately 1-2 weeks after completion/discontinuation of treatment was 65.4 % in the clavulanate/amoxicillin group and 85.4 % in the amoxicillin group. Even in cases from which the pathogen continued to be isolated, relapse/recurrence of clinical symptoms was seldom seen. Urinalysis, conducted to assess the presence or absence of acute glomerulonephritis, revealed no abnormality in any patient. These results suggest that 3-day treatment with this clavulanate/amoxicillin preparation is expected to provide a valid means of treating pediatric pharyngolaryngitis and tonsillitis caused by Group A ß-hemolytic Streptococcus.