RANDOMIZED, DOUBLE-BLIND-STUDY OF CIPROFLOXACIN AND CEFUROXIME AXETILFOR TREATMENT OF ACUTE BACTERIAL EXACERBATIONS OF CHRONIC-BRONCHITIS

In a prospective, multicenter, double-blind study, the interval to cli nical relapse in patients with acute bacterial exacerbations of chroni c bronchitis from whom a pretherapy pathogen was isolated was compared following treatment with ciprofloxacin or cefuroxime axetil, Clinical and microbiological responses at the end of therapy were secondary ef ficacy variables. Outpatients randomly received either ciprofloxacin o r cefuroxime axetil (500 mg twice a day for 14 days). Three hundred se ven patients with acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis were enrol led, of whom 208 had an exacerbation due to a bacterial pathogen, Clin ical resolution at the end of ciprofloxacin and cefuroxime axetil ther apy for patients for whom efficacy could be evaluated was 93% and 90%, respectively. Bacteriologic eradication rates were statistically high er for ciprofloxacin recipients (96% [89 of 93]) than for cefuroxime a xetil recipients (82% [80 of 97]) (P < .01). The median infection-free interval was 146 days for ciprofloxacin recipients vs. 178 days for c efuroxime axetil recipients (P = .37), In conclusion, ciprofloxacin wa s associated with an infection-free interval and clinical response tha t were similar to those associated with cefuroxime axetil, but the bac teriologic eradication rate associated with ciprofloxacin was statisti cally significantly higher than that associated with cefuroxime axetil .