[5-day therapy of bacterial pharyngitis and tonsillitis with cefixime. Comparison with 10 day treatment with penicillin V. Cefixime Study Group].

160 children aged 1 to 12 years with clinical diagnosis of bacterial pharyngitis and/or tonsillitis were treated either with cefixime ready-to-use-suspension or penicillin V in an open, controlled and randomized multicenter study. Before treatment a rapid antigen detection test was accomplished and throat swabs were taken. After randomization, the children were either treated for 5 days with 8 mg cefixime/kg bodyweight ready-to-use suspension once daily or with 20,000 I.U. penicillin V/kg bodyweight t.i.d. also administered as suspension. The data of 151 children could be evaluated for clinically efficacy. In the cefixime-group 86.7% of the children were cured and 9.3% significantly improved. After initial improvement, in one child (1.3%) a relapse occurred and in the two remaining children (2.7%) therapy failed. 90.8% of the patients treated with penicillin V were cured, 6.6% improved and in one child each a relapse was registered resp. therapy failed. Complete microbiological data were available in 137 patients. In the cefixime-group in 82.6% of the patients the pathogens were eradicated. The elimination rate in the penicillin-group was 88.2%. At the follow-up 3-4 weeks after end of treatment 6 relapses were seen in the cefixime-group, and 8 in the patients treated with penicillin. Both regimes were safe. Mild to moderate adverse events at least possibly related to the study medication were seen in only 4 children treated with cefixime and in 5 treated with penicillin. A 5 day treatment of bacterial pharyngitis and tonsillitis with cefixime was as effective as a ten day treatment with penicillin V.