Efficacy of Short-course Therapy with the Ketolide Telithromycin Compared with 10 Days of Penicillin V for the Treatment of Pharyngitis/Tonsillitis

This randomized, double-blind study compared the efficacy and safety of a 5-d course of the new ketolide antimicrobial, telithromycin, with those of a standard 10-d course of penicillin V (phenoxymethylpenicillin) in patients with group A β-hemolytic streptococci (GABHS) pharyngitis/tonsillitis. Patients aged 15-65 y (n = 395) with clinical signs and symptoms of pharyngitis/tonsillitis and a positive streptococcal antigen test or throat culture for GABHS were randomized to receive either telithromycin 800 mg once daily for 5 d (n =198) or penicillin V 500 mg three times daily for 10 d (n = 197). Clinical and bacteriologic outcomes were assessed at post-therapy, test-of-cure (Days 16-20) and late post-therapy (Days 38-45) visits. Telithromycin for 5 d was equivalent to 10 d of penicillin V in terms of bacteriologic and clinical outcome (per-protocol): at post-therapy, test-of-cure visit, bacteriologic outcome was satisfactory in 84.3% and 89.1% of patients in the telithromycin and penicillin V groups, resp...