Erythromycin versus cefadroxil in the treatment of skin infections

Erythromycin is often overlooked for the treatment of skin and skin structure infections. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of erythromycin particles in tablets and of cefadroxil in 164 patients with skin infections; both treatments were given as 500 mg twice daily. One hundred percent of erythromycin and 96% of cefadroxil patients were clinically cured or improved, and 98% of susceptible pathogens were eradicated in both groups. Only three erythromycin patients and one cefadroxil patient left the study early because of GI-related adverse events. Erythromycin, therefore, was as effective and safe as cefadroxil in the treatment of mild-to-moderate skin infections.

Efficacy and tolerance of enteric-coated erythromycin base (Ery-Max) administered twice or four times daily in patients with acute bronchitis

We performed a double-blind trial of a new formulation of erythromycin base as enteric-coated pellets (Ery-Max) in the treatment of acute bronchitis in 220 patients. Subjects were randomized to receive either 500 mg twice or 250 mg four times a day for 10 days. The response to treatment as assessed clinically and by changes in sputum purulence was the same in the two groups. Thus 97% and 98% of the patients had a good or improved clinical effect. Treatment was well tolerated, but side-effects were encountered more often in the q.i.d. group (p greater than 0.05). In conclusion, the study showed that the enteric-coated erythromycin as pellets, given twice or four times daily for 10 days, was well tolerated and equally effective in acute bronchitis. Hence, the more convenient b.i.d. regimen can be recommended.