Controlled multicenter clinical comparison between two cefatrizine administration schedules: a contribution to improvement of compliance in clinical nonhospital use of antibiotics.

Eight Italian clinical centers carried out a controlled double-blind/double-dummy evaluation of the effectiveness of two different administration schedules of cefatrizine, an orally active cephalosporin. The first schedule provided for once-a-day administration of 1.5 gm of the drug, and the second one for twice-a-day administration of 0.75 gm. The trial included 160 patients affected by bacterial diseases of the respiratory apparatus. The two drug administration schedules were found to be equivalent in clinical and bacteriological results and in tolerability.