Erythromycin acistrate and enterocoated pellets of erythromycin base in acute respiratory infections of hospitalized conscripts

Abstract The efficacy and tolerability of a new erythromycin ester, erythromycin acistrate (EA), and erythromycin base (EB) as enterocoated pellets were studied in 100 conscripts at the Central Military Hospital. The patients were admitted to hospital for acute respiratory tract infection. The dosage of EA was 400 mg tid and that of EB 500 mg tid. The patients were hospitalized during the treatment which ranged from seven to 12 days. The cure rate was good in both groups, 96% in the EA- and 87% in the EB-group. Gastrointestinal side effects were reported in 18% of the patients in the EA-group and in 46% in the EB-group (P less than 0.01). The gastrointestinal side effects were mild in all patients in the EA-group, while they were moderate in half and mild in half in the EB-group. None of the patients in the EA-group discontinued treatment because of gastrointestinal side effects, while the number in the EB-group was five (P less than 0.05). However one EA patient discontinued treatment because of testicular pain and one because of an urticarial rash. Neither of the drugs caused elevations of clinical significance in liver enzymes, and there were no changes in the measured laboratory safety parameters. In this trial EA was as effective as and caused significantly less gastrointestinal side effects than EB.