PIDOTIMOD IN THE TREATMENT OF RECURRENT RESPIRATORY-INFECTIONS IN PEDIATRIC-PATIENTS

50 young patients suffering from recurrent respiratory infections (RRI ),were treated with pidotimod 2-pyrrolidinyl)carbonyl]-thiazolidine-4- carboxylic acid PGT/1A, CAS 121808-62-6) (one 400 mg ampoule twice a d ay) or. placebo, according to a double-blind experimental design. The treatment period was 20 days and there was then a 60-day follow-up per iod. Evaluation was both clinical (number and severity of the respirat ory infectious episodes) and immunological, investigating the OKT 4 an d OKT 8 lymphocyte sub-populations and OKT 4/OKT 8 ratio. The group of children treated with pidotimod shelved a decrease in the number of i nfections. Patients fi ee from RRI episodes, after 20 days of therapy were 68% of the group treated with pidotimod compared with 8% of the p lacebo group. In addition, the mean duration of the episodes was lower in treated patients than in patients of the control group. Such diffe rences were statistically significant. It was also observed that admin istration of the drug potentiated the immune response such that the cl inical picture remained improved for a further 60 days after treatment cessation. Furthermore, only in the pidotimod group there were improv ing changes of OKT 4 and OKT 8 percentages which affected the OKT 4/OK T 8 ratio.