Once‐A‐Day therapy for sinusitis: A comparison study of cefixime and amoxicillin

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Abstract
The efficacy and safety of a once‐a‐day antibiotic in the treatment of sinusitis was studied. Two randomly assigned groups were treated with either once‐a‐day cefixime, a third generation cephalosporin, or amoxicillin three times a day. One hundred and fourteen patients were evaluated with antral punctures, microbiologic evaluation, and radiographic studies. Cultures revealed 40% gram‐negative organisms, 48% gram‐positive, and 12% anaerobes. The most common bacteria were Haemophilus influenzae, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus and viridans group streptococci. Ninety‐four percent of the cefixime group were cured compared with 96% of the amoxicillin group. Staphylococcus resistance was a problem in both groups, necessitating an occasional change to amoxicillin‐clavulanate potassium in the amoxicillin group. Once‐a‐day antibiotics offer the potential for improved compliance in the treatment of sinusitis. Cefixime offers an additional benefit of covering β‐lactamase producing strains of bacteria which are increasing in incidence and resistant to many penicillins.