Objective: In this multicenter, open label trial the investigators evaluated the efficacy and safety of azithromycin suspension administered once daily for 5 days for the treatment of clinically and bacteriologically established acute otitis media.
Methods: Two hundred eligible children with acute otitis media from 10 US centers were treated with 10 mg/kg of azithromycin oral suspension on Day 1, followed by 5 mg/kg once daily for the next 4 days. Tympanocentesis and subsequent culture of middle ear effusion were performed at baseline. Clinical efficacy was evaluated on Days 6, 11 and 30.
Results: Analysis of clinical efficacy in evaluable patients 11 days after the initiation of therapy showed that the rate of satisfactory responses (cured or improved) ranged from 79.6 to 82.4% in patients infected with Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, or Moraxella catarrhalis. Satisfactory clinical response at Day 30 was reported in 70% of evaluable patients, and eradication of S. pneumoniae, H. influenzae and M. catarrhalis was presumed in 64 to 73%. Relapses occurred in 14% of the evaluable patients. Among the treated patients 8.5% reported mild or moderate side effects.
Conclusion: Azithromycin is an effective, safe and well-tolerated treatment for children with acute otitis media.