A DOUBLE-BLIND TASTE COMPARISON OF PEDIATRIC ANTIBIOTIC SUSPENSIONS

This study examined the palatability of 22 antimicrobial suspensions b y using five independent categories for scoring: appearance, smell, te xture, taste, and aftertaste. The likely overall influence on patient compliance was also evaluated. Drugs were compared within their respec tive classes. The only antibiotics judged to be so unpalatable as to p otentially jeopardize compliance were dicloxacillin, oxacillin, erythr omycin/sulfisoxazole, and cefpodoxime. Among the penicillins, amoxicil lin and ampicillin were preferred. Azithromycin was slightly superior to erythromycin and clarithromycin within the macrolide class. Many ce phalosporins were ranked quite high, the best being loracarbef, cefadr oxyl, cefprozil, and cefixime.