Evaluation of panipenem/betamipron (PAPM/BP) in pneumonia in elderly patients

The present multicenter study evaluated the clinical and bacteriological efficacy and safety of panipenem/betamipron (PAPM/BP) for treating pneumonia in elderly patients. Forty-three episodes of pneumonia in 43 patients were treated with PAPM/BP as the sole antibiotic agent. All patients were 65 years of age or older, and were given PAPM/BP at a total daily dosage range of 0.5–2.0 g. The clinical efficacy rate, expressed as a percentage of the total number of excellent and good responses, was 56.4%. Of the 43 patients, 13 were evaluated bacteriologically. In these 13 patients, the eradication rate, expressed as a percentage of the total number of “eradicated” and “replaced” efficacies, was 30.8%. Adverse effects and abnormal laboratory findings occurred in 2 patients, which was 4.6% of the total number of patients evaluated. No serious adverse effects were observed. We concluded that PAPM/BP was well tolerated overall, and was effective and safe for most of the elderly patients.