Comparison of 5-day and 10-day cefixime in the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis.

The focus of a multicenter trial conducted in Germany was to investigate whether a 5-day short course of cefixime 400 mg was equivalent to a 10-day standard therapy of cefixime 400 mg in the treatment of acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis (AECB). In the 167 patients who were evaluated, on day 11 following treatment with once-daily oral cefixime resulted in clinical success in 91 and 89% of cases in the 5-day and 10-day treatment groups, respectively. At days 6, 11 and 30 after treatment there was no statistically significant difference between the 2 dose groups (p < 0.01). Bacteriological equivalence was also demonstrated. Gastrointestinal adverse events showed a tendency to occur less frequently in the 5-day group, but the difference was not significant. The results indicate that a short course therapy is equivalent in efficacy to the standard 10-day therapy in patients with AECB, and may thus offer cost advantages.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes