Efficacy and acceptability of fusafungine, a local treatment for both nose and throat infections, in adult patients with upper respiratory tract infections.

The objective of this study was to assess the effectiveness and acceptability of fusafungine in the treatment of patients with community-acquired, upper respiratory tract infections. These infections, although frequently of viral origin, may be conducive to bacterial superinfection. Fusafungine, a combination of several enniatins, has been shown to display bacteriostatic activity against many micro-organisms responsible for infections of the respiratory tract, along with anti-inflammatory activity. This open, multi-centre study analysed data on 166 patients suffering from upper respiratory tract infections treated for 7 or 10 days with a fusafungine metered-dose spray. The incidence of upper respiratory tract symptoms was significantly reduced from baseline (p < or = 0.001) with the treatment evaluated as excellent or good by 92.1% of physicians. In 77.7% of the patients, no further treatment was necessary at the end of the seven-day therapeutic period. Out of the 37 patients who had the treatment prolonged for three more days, 78.4% had regression of their URTI at the end of therapy. In terms of tolerability, assessment by the investigators and the patients themselves demonstrated that fusafungine was extremely well tolerated. Acceptability of the treatment was considered poor by only one patient. Results of this study suggest that fusafungine, whatever the aetiology of the infection, gives rapid relief of nasal and pharyngeal symptoms and provides strong evidence of its efficacy and acceptability in treating URTIs.