Effect of dosing schedule on aminoglycoside ototoxicity: comparative cochlear ototoxicity of amikacin and isepamicin.

The effect of the dosing schedule on aminoglycoside ototoxicity was investigated in the guinea pig. The animals were given amikacin or isepamicin either by once-daily intramuscular injection of 200 mg/kg or by twice-daily injections of 100 mg/kg for 28 days. The once-daily treatment induced a lesser degree of ototoxicity than the twice-daily injections, which may indicate that the once-daily treatment therapy has a potential value in the clinical use of aminoglycoside antibiotics. Isepamicin sulfate is a new aminoglycoside antibiotic currently undergoing clinical investigation. This study revealed that isepamicin also has ototoxic properties as has been observed in all other aminoglycosides. The degree of ototoxicity, however, was markedly less than that of amikacin.