Single-dose azithromycin ER an attractive option for AOM

A single, high-dose of extended-release (ER) azithromycin [Zmax] is as effective as a 10-day course of extra-strength amoxicillin/clavulanic acid [Augmentin ES-600] in children with acute otitis media (AOM) at high risk of persistent or recurrent disease, according to a phase III trial presented during a late-breaking session at the 46th Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC) [San Francisco, California, US; September 2006]. The clinical efficacy was comparable between the two treatment groups; among the bacteriologically evaluable per protocol (BPP) population, clinical response rates at test of cure were 85.8% in the azithromycin ER group and 89.9% in the amoxicillin/clavulanic acid group. The improved tolerability and compliance observed among patients treated with azithromycin ER makes this single-dose therapy an attractive alternative to treatment with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid.