COMPARISON OF CEFDINIR AND CEFACLOR IN TREATMENT OF COMMUNITY-ACQUIRED PNEUMONIA

Six hundred ninety patients were enrolled in a multicenter, randomized , double-blind trial comparing the efficacy and safety of cefdinir wit h those of cefaclor in the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia. Patients received either 10 days of treatment with cefdinir (n = 347) at 300 mg twice daily or 10 days of treatment with cefaclor (n = 343) at 500 mg three times daily, Microbiological assessments were performe d on sputum specimens obtained at admission and at the two posttherapy visits, if available, Respiratory tract pathogens were isolated from 538 (78%) of 690 patient admission sputum specimens, with the predomin ant pathogens being Haemophilus parainfluenzae, Haemophilus influenzae , Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus. The microbiolog ical eradication rates at the test-of-cure visit were 92% (238 of 260 pathogens) and 93% (245 of 264 pathogens) for the evaluable patients t reated with cefdinir and cefaclor, respectively, A satisfactory clinic al response (cure plus improvement) was achieved in 89% (166 of 187) a nd 86% (160 of 186) of the evaluable patients treated with cefdinir an d cefaclor, respectively. Except for the incidence of diarrhea, advers e event rates while on treatment were equivalent between the two treat ment groups, Diarrhea incidence during therapy was higher for patients treated with cefdinir (13.7%) than for patients treated with cefaclor (5.3%). These results indicate that cefdinir is effective and safe in the treatment of patients with pneumonia.