Comparison of two oral antibiotics, roxithromycin and amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid, in lower respiratory tract infections.

Abstract In a randomized, multicenter, open-label study, 490 ambulatory adult patients withu lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) were randomized to roxithromycin (ROX) 150 mg b.i.d. orally ( n = 244) or amoxicillin plus clavunalic acid (AMX + CA) as 500 mg AMX + 125 mg CA t.i.d. orally ( n = 24). Clinical results were analyzed in 477 patients withu acute bronchitis (79%), chronic bronchitis (CB) (14%), and pneumonia (7%). There were significantly more patients with underlying disease (cardiovascular diseases, p = 0.045; and alcoholism , p p =0.045 in the ROX group. Overall clinical efficacy was similar in both groups: 88% (206:235) in the ROX group and 85% (205:242) in the AMX + CA group. Side effects were reported in 67 cases (28%0 in the AMX + CA group and in 21 cases (9%) in the ROX group ( p > p