Comparative efficacy of cefadroxil and cefaclor in the treatment of skin and soft-tissue infections.

A ten-day, randomized, open-label study was conducted to compare the efficacy of 1,000 mg of cefadroxil once daily and 250 mg of cefaclor TID in 200 black patients with skin and soft-tissue infections caused by microorganisms sensitive to these cephalosporins. Statistically, the clinical results with each drug were not significantly different: 91% efficacy with cefadroxil and 95% efficacy with cefaclor. The important difference between cefadroxil and cefaclor is the remarkably longer half-life of cefadroxil, which makes once-a-day dosing possible and offers greater patient convenience and the likelihood of better compliance. In an analysis of compliance, only 2% of the patients in the cefadroxil group (20 capsules given to each patient) returned unused capsules; 77% in the cefaclor group (30 capsules given to each patient) returned unused capsules.