EFFICACY AND TOLERANCE OF CEFIXIME AS COMPARED TO PENICILLIN-V IN CHILDREN WITH BACTERIAL PHARYNGITIS AND TONSILLITIS

154 children aged 2 to 12 years with clinical diagnosis of bacterial pharyngitis and/or tonsillitis and - in most of the patients - a positive enzyme immunoassay for group A beta-hemolytic streptococci before therapy were enrolled in this open controlled randomized and multicenter trial. The children received either 8 mg/kg bodyweight cefixime once daily or 20000 I.E. pencilline V/kg bodyweight t.i.d. Clinical evaluation and microbiological tests were carried out before treatment and 1-5 days after end of the treatment. 3-4 weeks after end of the treatment the rate of relapses was evaluated. The data of 149 children could be evaluated for clinical efficacy. In the cefixime group 93,3% of the children were cured and 6,7% improved corn pared to 89,2% and 10,8%, respectively, in the penicillin V group. Complete microbiological data were obtained from 136 patients. The eradication rate was 82,7% in the cefixime group and 77% in the group of patients treated with penicillin V. At follow up relapses were seen in 7 of the cefixime treated patients and in 6 of those receiving penicillin V. Mild side effects were reported by 4 patients in the cefixime group and by 3 children treated with penicillin V (1 drop out each). These resultes show that cefixime once daily is at least as effective as penicillin V t.i.d. in pharyngitis and tonsillitis in children. Both compounds are well tolerated.