Cefdinir versus levofloxacin in patients with acute rhinosinusitis of presumed bacterial etiology: a multicenter, randomized, double-blind study.

BACKGROUND: Treatment guidelines for acute bacterial rhinosinusitis (ABRS) recommend 10 to 14 days of therapy with high-dose amoxicillin, amoxicillin/clavulanate, cefdinir, cefpodoxime, cefuroxime, a macrolide, or a newer fluoroquinolone, among other agents. OBJECTIVE: This study compared the clinical efficacy and tolerability of cefdinir and levofloxacin in patients with a diagnosis of acute rhinosinusitis of presumed bacterial origin. METHODS: In this multicenter, double-blind, noninferiority study, ambulatory adult patients who had signs and symptoms for >7 to 21 days before the screening visit and radiographic findings consistent with acute rhinosinusitis were randomized to receive cefdinir 600 mg or levofloxacin 500 mg, each once daily for 10 days. Clinical and radiologic response rates were determined at the test-of-cure (TOC) visit, which took place 9 to 14 days after the completion of treatment. RESULTS: Two hundred seventy-one patients (138 cefdinir, 133 levofloxacin) were enrolled and randomized to treatment at 27 study centers in the United States and Poland between November 2003 and March 2004. Of these, 241 (123 cefdinir, 118 levofloxacin) were clinically evaluable. The cefdinir group consisted of 75 women and 48 men, of whom 117 were white and 6 black; their mean (SD) age was 42.5 (14.3) years. The levofloxacin group consisted of 71 women and 47 men, of whom 111 were white and 7 black; their mean age was 40.4 (13.6) years. The 2 groups were similar in terms of presenting signs and symptoms and baseline radiographic findings. The most common presenting symptoms were sinus pain, sinus pressure, and purulent nasal discharge, each of which was reported by > or =89% of patients. Clinical cure rates at the TOC visit in the cefdinir and levofloxacin groups were 83% (102/123) and 86% (101/118), respectively (95% Cl for the difference in cure rates, -12.3 to 7.0). Cefdinir and levofloxacin were comparable in the treatment of infections classified as moderate to severe. The incidence of drug-related adverse events was generally comparable in the 2 treatment groups, although there were significant differences between cefdinir and levofloxacin in the incidence of vaginal moniliasis in women (11% vs 0%, respectively; P = 0.003), drug-related diarrhea (8% vs 1%; P = 0.005), and insomnia (0% vs 4%; P = 0.027). Only 2% of patients discontinued therapy prematurely as a result of a drug-related adverse event. CONCLUSION: In this population of patients with ABRS, the extended-spectrum cephalosporin cefdinir was as efficacious as the fluoroquinolone levofloxacin, suggesting that cefdinir may be a suitable alternative to the currently recommended fluoroquinolones.

Comparison of once-daily extended-release ciprofloxacin and conventional twice-daily ciprofloxacin for the treatment of uncomplicated urinary tract infection in women.

BACKGROUND: Trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) is currently the first choice for empiric therapy of acute uncomplicated urinary tract infection (UTI) in women. In areas where resistance to TMP/SMX is known to be high, ciprofloxacin and other fluoroquinolones are recommended as first-line choices for the empiric therapy of UTI. OBJECTIVE: This study compared the efficacy and safety profile of once-daily extended-release ciprofloxacin 500 mg (referred to hereafter as ciprofloxacin QD) with those of conventional ciprofloxacin 250 mg BID, each administered orally for 3 days, in the treatment of uncomplicated UTI in women. METHODS: In this multicenter, prospective, randomized, double-blind, double-dummy, Phase III trial, adult women with clinical signs and symptoms of acute uncomplicated UTI, pyuria, and a positive pretherapy urine culture (>/=10(5) colony-forming units/mL) received ciprofloxacin QD or ciprofloxacin BID. Bacteriologic and clinical outcomes were assessed at the test-of-cure visit (4-11 days after completion of therapy) and the late follow-up visit (25-50 days after completion of therapy). RESULTS: The intent-to-treat population consisted of 891 patients (444 ciprofloxacin QD, 447 ciprofloxacin BID); 422 patients were evaluable for efficacy (199 ciprofloxacin QD, 223 ciprofloxacin BID). At the test-of-cure visit, bacteriologic eradication was achieved in 94.5% (188/199) of the ciprofloxacin QD group and 93.7% (209/223) of the ciprofloxacin BID group (95% CI, -3.5 to 5.1). Clinical cure was achieved in 95.5% (189/198) of the ciprofloxacin QD group and 92.7% (204/220) of the ciprofloxacin BID group (95% CI, -1.6 to 7.1). Bacteriologic and clinical outcomes at the late follow-up visit were consistent with the test-of-cure findings. The rate of eradication of Escherichia coli, the most prevalent organism, was >97% in each treatment group. Rates of drug-related adverse events were similar with the once- and twice-daily ciprofloxacin regimens (10% and 9%, respectively). CONCLUSION: Extended-release ciprofloxacin 500 mg given once daily for 3 days was as effective and well tolerated as conventional ciprofloxacin 250 mg given twice daily for 3 days in the treatment of acute uncomplicated UTI in women.

Efficacy and safety of topical ciprofloxacin/dexamethasone versus neomycin/polymyxin B/hydrocortisone for otitis externa.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the efficacy and safety of ciprofloxacin 0.3%/dexamethasone 0.1% (CIP/DEX) otic suspension with that of neomycin 0.35%/polymyxin B 10,000 IU/mL/hydrocortisone 1.0% (N/P/H) otic suspension in patients with acute otitis externa (AOE). STUDY DESIGN: Randomized, observer-masked, parallel-group, multicenter study. Patients were randomized to 7 days treatment with either CIP/DEX 3-4 drops twice daily or N/P/H 3-4 drops three times daily. POPULATION: Patients of either sex and older than 1 year, with a clinical diagnosis of mild, moderate, or severe AOE and intact tympanic membranes were recruited to participate. OUTCOMES MEASURED: Signs and symptoms of AOE, including ear inflammation, tenderness, edema and discharge (assessed on Days 3, 8 [End-of-Therapy] and 18 [Test-of-Cure]); microbiologic eradication (presumed or documented); and frequency of adverse events. RESULTS: Patients enrolled numbered 468. In culture-positive patients who met the inclusion criteria (N = 396), clinical cure rates at Day 18 were significantly higher with CIP/DEX than with N/P/H (90.9% vs. 83.9%; p = 0.0375), as were microbiologic eradication rates (94.7% vs. 86.0%; p = 0.0057). In addition, the clinical response was significantly better with CIP/DEX than with N/P/H at Days 3 and 18 (p = 0.0279 and p = 0.0321, respectively), as was the reduction in ear inflammation at Day 18 (p = 0.0268). Both preparations were well tolerated in pediatric and adult patients. CONCLUSIONS: 7 days treatment with CIP/DEX otic suspension administered twice daily is clinically and microbiologically superior to N/P/H otic suspension administered 3 times daily in the treatment of mild to severe AOE, and is equally well tolerated.

Randomized double-blind study comparing 3- and 6-day regimens of azithromycin with a 10-day amoxicillin-clavulanate regimen for treatment of acute bacterial sinusitis.

A randomized, double-blind, multicenter study of adults with acute bacterial sinusitis (ABS) compared the efficacy and safety of two azithromycin (AZM) regimens, 500 mg/day once daily for 3 days (AZM-3) or 6 days (AZM-6) to the efficacy and safety of an amoxicillin-clavulanate (AMC) regimen of 500-125 mg three times daily for 10 days. A total of 936 subjects with clinically and radiologically documented ABS were treated (AZM-3, 312; AZM-6, 311; AMC, 313). Clinical success rates were equivalent among per-protocol subjects at the end of therapy (AZM-3, 88.8%; AZM-6, 89.3%; AMC, 84.9%) and at the end of the study (AZM-3, 71.7%; AZM-6, 73.4%; AMC, 71.3%). Subjects treated with AMC reported a higher incidence of treatment-related adverse events (AE) (51.1%) than AZM-3 (31.1%, P < 0.001) or AZM-6 (37.6%, P < 0.001). More AMC subjects discontinued the study (n = 28) than AZM-3 (n = 7) and AZM-6 (n = 11) subjects. Diarrhea was the most frequent treatment-related AE. AZM-3 and AZM-6 were each equivalent in efficacy and better tolerated than AMC for ABS.