[Comparative study of 2 dosage regimens of cefixime in the treatment of otorhinolaryngeal or bronchial infections].
A double-blind comparative study of cefixime (400 mg/day), given either as a single daily dose, or in two divided doses, was carried out in collaboration with 54 general practitioners. This study was mainly directed towards tolerance assessment. 431 patients with upper and lower respiratory tract infection were included. In terms of tolerance, 89 per cent of patients showed no side-effect and the tolerance was deemed satisfactory in 90.3 per cent of the cases by the investigators, without any statistically significant difference between both groups. Roughly, the most frequent side-effects were gastrointestinal reactions, such as diarrhea or stool changes (4.0 per cent), gastralgia (1.9 per cent), nausea and/or vomiting (1.6 per cent). In terms of effectiveness, after an average of 8.8 +/- 0.1 days of treatment, 94.4 per cent of assessable patients were improved or cured. Once again, there was no statistical difference between both groups. Cefixime effectiveness and safety are comparable with both modes of administration.