A new
dihydrofolate inhibitor,
brodimoprim, was compared with
amoxicillin in the treatment of acute
sinusitis in a general practice controlled study. Eighty adult outpatients with acute
sinusitis were randomly assigned to receive 200 mg of
brodimoprim once daily or 750 mg of
amoxicillin thrice daily for seven to 10 days. The mean
duration of treatment was 9.2 days in the
brodimoprim group and 9.1 days in the
amoxicillin group. In most patients the symptoms of
sinusitis had disappeared by day 5 of treatment. The reduction in symptom scores was more marked in the
brodimoprim-treated patients than in the
amoxicillin-treated patients. Bacteriologic examinations
after treatment were performed in 20 patients of each treatment group. At completion of treatment, the causative pathogen had been eradicated in 14 of 20 patients treated with
brodimoprim and in 12 of 20 patients treated with
amoxicillin. Treatment side effects were reported by two
brodimoprim-treated patients (skin reactions) and by six
amoxicillin-treated patients (gastrointestinal distrubances or skin reactions). The results indicate that
brodimoprim is safe and effective in the treatment of acute
sinusitis in adults.