Cefaclor in treatment of otitis media and pharyngitis in children.

The safety and efficacy of cefaclor were compared with amoxicillin trihydrate in the treatment of 130 cases of otitis media, and with penicillin V potassium in 88 cases of streptococcal pharyngitis in two single-blind controlled studies. Patients with otitis media received approximately 40 mg/kg/day of cefaclor or amoxicillin trihydrate for ten days to three weeks; patients with pharyngitis received 20 mg/kg/day of cefaclor or penicillin V potassium for ten days. Overall, patients who received cefaclor for otitis media had fewer acute failures and better total success, especially in cases caused by Haemophilus influenzae; however, the difference between cefaclor and amoxicillin was not statistically significant. There also was no significant difference between the clinical effectiveness of cefaclor and penicillin in the treatment of streptococcal pharyngitis. Cefaclor was well tolerated with no serious side effects.