Six hundred ninety patients were enrolled in a multicenter, randomized, double-blind trial comparing the efficacy and safety of
cefdinir with those of
cefaclor in the treatment of community-acquired
pneumonia. Patients received either 10 days of treatment with
cefdinir (n = 347) at 300 mg twice daily or 10 days of treatment with
cefaclor (n = 343) at 500 mg three times daily. Microbiological assessments were performed on sputum specimens obtained at admission and at the two posttherapy visits, if available. Respiratory tract pathogens were isolated from 538 (78%) of 690
patient admission sputum specimens, with the predominant pathogens being Haemophilus parainfluenzae, Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus. The microbiological eradication rates at the test-of-cure visit were 92% (238 of 260 pathogens) and 93% (245 of 264 pathogens) for the evaluable patients treated with
cefdinir and
cefaclor, respectively. A satisfactory clinical response (cure plus improvement) was achieved in 89% (166 of 187) and 86% (160 of 186) of the evaluable patients treated with
cefdinir and
cefaclor, respectively. Except for the incidence of
diarrhea, adverse event rates while on treatment were equivalent between the two treatment groups.
Diarrhea incidence during
therapy was higher for patients treated with
cefdinir (13.7%) than for patients treated with
cefaclor (5.3%). These results indicate that
cefdinir is effective and safe in the treatment of patients with
pneumonia.