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| |  DG DISPATCH - ECC: Moxifloxacin Proves Highly Effective in Acute Exacerbations of Chronic Bronchitis By Pamela Hunter Special to DG News
MADRID, SPAIN -- May 11, 2000 -- The new fluoroquinolones, moxifloxacin, has been shown to be highly effective in the treatment of community-acquired respiratory tract infections. Moxifloxacin, licensed by Bayer, has been licensed recently for use in various types of respiratory tract infections. The compound is administered at a dose of 400 mg once daily for five to ten days, depending upon the severity of the infection. In a poster presentation by Dr J. Lorenz and colleagues from Kreiskrankenhaus, Germany, at the European Congress of Chemotherapy in Madrid, Spain,evidence was given of the efficacy and satisfaction level with a five-day course of moxifloxacin in the treatment of patients with acute purulent exacerbations of chronic bronchitis. The study was a prospective, non-comparative study in 53 centers in Germany and 328 patients. The patients had a median age of 60 years with a range of 19-88 years, and 61 percent were men. The patients had had an average of 3.3 (+/- 1.9) acute exacerbations in the previous year. All were classified as having chronic bronchitis using WHO criteria, with an acute exacerbation of the Anthonisen type I. After a pretherapy examination, patients were treated for five days with moxifloxacin. They were examined at 12 days (seven days post-therapy) -- termed the test-of-cure visit. A follow-up examination was also performed between 28 and 36 days. Patients were asked to keep a diary with details of their signs and symptoms. The physicians assessed the patients’ clinical conditions using signs and symptoms of acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis and lung function tests. Patients’ assessments were used to determine their satisfaction with the therapy. The clinical success in the intent-to-treat patients was 90.5 percent at the test-of-cure examination and 93.3 percent at the follow-up visit. The clinical success in the per-protocol group was 94.9 percent and 93.6 percent, respectively. The majority of patients (92 percent) were satisfied with the results of their treatment at the follow-up visit; 7 percent were extremely satisfied, 36 percent very satisfied and 49 percent satisfied. Of the 8 percent who were dissatisfied with the results of their treatment, only 1 percent was very dissatisfied. There were adverse events (mostly of the digestive system) which were either possibly or probably related to the moxifloxacin therapy in 31 patients (9.5 percent) and four patients discontinued therapy because of adverse events. The researchers concluded that moxifloxacin is an effective and well tolerated drug for use in treating acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis and that it has a high patient satisfaction. Related Links: moxifloxacin (Avelox) and Bayer.
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