Comparative Study of Cefuroxime Axetil Suspension and Amoxycillin Syrup in the Treatment of Acute Otitis Media in General Practice

Abstract

In a multicentre general practice study, 660 children aged between 3 months and 12 years with otitis media were randomized to receive a 10-day course of cefuroxime axetil suspension or amoxycillin syrup. Children under 2 years of age were given 125 mg cefuroxime axetil twice daily after food or 125 mg amoxycillin three times daily; older children received 250 mg cefuroxime axetil twice daily or 250 mg amoxycillin three times daily. The overall cure or improvement rate was 94.3% for those treated with cefuroxime axetil and 94.5% for those receiving amoxycillin. Both treatments were well tolerated, with no differences in the number of patients who experienced at least one adverse event or who were withdrawn from treatment. Haemophilus influenzae was isolated in 29% of specimens obtained, Streptococcus pneumoniae in 22% and Moraxella catarrhalis in 6%. Some Strep. pneumonia and M. catarrhalis infections were resistant to amoxycillin. It is concluded that cefuroxime axetil suspension given twice daily has comparable efficacy to amoxycillin syrup given three times daily in the treatment of children with otitis media.

Keywords

Cefuroxime axetil amoxycillin otitis media

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Teele

Klein

Rosner

: Epidemiology of otitis in children. Ann Otol Rhinol Laryngol 1980; 89 (suppl 68): 5–6.

Bishop

DVM

Edmundson

: Is otitis media a major cause of specific developmental language disorder? Br J Disord Commun 1986; 21: 321–338.

Smith

LeFrock

: Cefuroxime: antimicrobial activity, pharmacology and clinical efficacy. Ther Drug Monit 1983; 5: 149–160.

Emmerson

: Cefuroxime axetil (leading article). J Antimicrob Chemother 1988; 22: 101–103.

Aronovitz

: Treatment of otitis media with cefuroxime axetil. South Med J 1988; 81: 978–980.

McLinn

Werner

Cocchetto

: Clinical trial of cefuroxime axetil versus cefaclor for acute otitis media with effusion. Curr Ther Res 1988; 43: 1–11.

Finn

Sherrill

Debussey

: A comparative study of cefuroxime axetil and cefaclor in the treatment of otitis media with effusion (Abstract). Program and Abstracts of the Twenty-fifth Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Minneapolis, 29 September – 2 October 1985. Washington: American Society for Microbiology, 1985; p. 202.

Giebink

: The microbiology of otitis media. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1989; 8: S18–S20.

Nelson

: Changing trends in the microbiology and management of acute otitis media and sinusitis. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1986; 5: 749–753.

10.

Bluestone

: Otitis media and sinusitis: management and when to refer to the otolaryngolist. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1987; 6: 100–106.

11.

Shurin

Marchant

Kim

: Emergence of beta-lactamase-producing strains of Branhamella catarrhalis as important agents of acute otitis media. Pediatr Infect Dis J 1983; 2: 34–38.