Efficacy and Tolerability of Clarithromycin versus Azithromycin in the Short-Course Treatment of Acute Bronchitis

In general practice it is common to prescribe antibiotics for patients with acute bronchitis presumed to be of bacterial origin. This phase III double-blind randomised multicentre study compared the efficacy and safety of clarithromycin 250mg twice daily administered for 5 days, and azithromycin 500mg once daily on day 1 followed by 250mg once daily on days 2 to 5, in the treatment of 214 adult patients with acute bronchitis. Clinical evaluations were performed pretreatment, on day 6 or 7, and at a follow-up visit between 20 to 30 days after the start of treatment.