Comparison of spiramycin with erythromycin for lower respiratory tract infections

The efficacy and safety of 2 g oral spiramycin daily were compared with those of 2 g of oral erythromycin daily in a multicentre open prospective trial, involving 198 patients, with a mean age of 61·75 years, with a clinical and radiological diagnosis of acute lower respiratory tract infection. The diagnoses were: acute bronchitis (96), acute superinfection of chronic bronchitis (60) and pneumonia (42). The patients were assessed before therapy and after three and ten days of therapy. Seventy-four (76·3%) of the patients were cured in the spiramycin group and 64 (63'4%) were cured in the erythromycin group (P < 0·05). Significantly more patients complained of side effects in the erythromycin group (41'4%) than in the spiramycin group (11·8%) P < 0·001