Original Article

Telithromycin for the Treatment of Acute Bacterial Maxillary Sinusitis: A Review of a New Antibacterial Agent

Authors: Guy Tellier, MD, Stephen A. Brunton, MD, Roomi Nusrat, MD

Abstract

Objective: Telithromycin, the first approved ketolide antibiotic, was developed to treat community-acquired respiratory tract infections, including acute bacterial maxillary sinusitis (ABMS). A previously published study showed that a 5-day course of 800 mg telithromycin once daily is as effective as a 10-day course in the treatment of ABMS.


Materials and Methods: Data were pooled from two controlled, multinational, prospective, randomized, double-blinded ABMS trials comparing 5-day telithromycin (800 mg once daily) with 10-day amoxicillin-clavulanate (500/125 mg 3 times daily) and cefuroxime axetil (250 mg twice daily). Clinical cure and bacteriologic eradication rates were compared by means of descriptive statistics.


Results: The clinical cure rate for telithromycin was 80.9% versus 77.4% for comparators; bacteriologic eradication rate for telithromycin was 84.9% versus 81.7% for comparators. Most adverse events were mild to moderate in intensity and, most commonly, gastrointestinal in nature.


Conclusions: These results support the conclusion that 5 days of treatment with telithromycin is as safe and effective in patients with ABMS as a 10-day course of treatment with amoxicillin-clavulanate or cefuroxime axetil.


Key Points


* Telithromycin (800 mg/d) for 5 days is as effective as the same dose given for 10 days for the treatment of acute bacterial maxillary sinusitis.


* For the treatment of acute bacterial maxillary sinusitis, 800 mg/d telithromycin for 5 days is as safe and efficacious as its comparators, 500/125 mg amoxicillin-clavulanate given 3 times per day and 250 mg cefuroxime axetil given twice a day.


* Telithromycin (800 mg/d) for 5 days is a safe, clinically and bacteriologically effective treatment option for patients with acute bacterial maxillary sinusitis.

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