Efficacy of telithromycin in community-acquired pneumonia caused by atypical and intracellular pathogens

The efficacy of telithromycin 800 mg once daily for 5 to 10 days (1 study comprised 5- or 7-day telithromycin) was evaluated in 8 phase III/IV studies in patients with mild to moderate community-acquired pneumonia caused by atypical/intracellular pathogens. Atypical/intracellular pathogens were identified by serology and/or polymerase chain reaction analysis of sputum. Clinical outcome was assessed at test of cure (days 17 to 24) in the per-protocol population. In total, 2289 patients received telithromycin, and 702 received comparators. Of these, 1925 (including 4.5% identified with atypical pathogens) and 540 (including 8.1% identified with atypical pathogens), respectively, were included in the analysis. The clinical success rate for telithromycin was 91.2% (1755/1925) overall and 94.4% (34/36), 97.3% (36/37), and 100% (13/13) for Chlamydophila (Chlamydia) pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, and Legionella pneumophila, respectively (vs. 90.7% [490/540], 94.7% [18/19], 90.9% [20/22], and 2/3, respectively, for pooled comparators). Telithromycin is clinically efficacious in patients with mild to moderate community-acquired pneumonia caused by atypical/intracellular pathogens.