A therapeutic approach in the treatment of infections of the upper airways: thiamphenicol glycinate acetylcysteinate in sequential treatment (systemic-inhalatory route).

Eight hundred and seventeen patients with upper respiratory tract infections were treated with thiamphenicol glycinate acetylcisteinate (TGA) or other standard antibiotics for 6-10 days in a randomised trial. In 419 out of 817 patients, the symptomatology was severe and they were treated with TGA in sequential therapy (TGA 500 mg- as thiamphenicol- b.i.d. intramuscularly on the first day and TGA 500 mg b.i.d by aerosol during the following days) (n=151), or with antibiotics of comparison (n=268) given intramuscularly. In this group the disappearance of the symptomatology with TGA ranged from 90 percent of the patients with otitis media to 94 percent in pharyngotonsillitis and rhinosinusitis; in this latter group TGA was significantly better than cefazolin. In 398 patients with mild symptomatology TGA (250 mg as thiamphenicol- b.i.d.) was given by aerosol (n=149) and the antibiotics of comparison by oral route (n=249). In TGA patients, the disappearance of symptoms was achieved in 87 percent of those with rhinosinusitis, in 88 percent of those with pharyngotonsillitis and in 91 percent of those with otitis media. S. pyogenes, S. pneumoniae and H. influenzae were the most frequently isolated pathogens, and none of the isolated bacteria proved to be resistant to TGA. Microbiological eradication was obtained in TGA groups in a percentage of patients ranging from 90.2 to 96.0 percent in those with severe forms, and from 86.2 to 91.6 percent in those with a mild clinical picture. Investigators rated the TGA efficacy as excellent in 96-100 percent of the patients with severe forms and in 85.5-100 percent of the patients with mild forms, whereas in the group of patients with rhinosinusitis the comparison of TGA versus other treatment was significantly in favour of TGA. The Investigator rating of treatment tolerability significantly favoured TGA in sequential treatments in comparison to the other antibiotics. No patient dropped out from the trial because of adverse events.