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CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL PUBLISHES BATTLE PLAN FOR RESISTANT BACTERIA
Working Group Guidelines Recommend AugmentinÆ for Empiric Treatment of Middle Ear Infections Caused by Drug Resistant Strep Pneumoniae
Philadelphia, PA, January 18, 1999 -- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today published new recommendations in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal for treating middle ear infections (acute otitis media) caused by resistant strains of Streptococcus pneumoniae. The steady rise of drug resistant S. pneumoniae (DRSP) prompted the CDC to convene a working group to establish guidelines about treatment of the common ear infection. Currently, nearly 30 million doctorÃs visits each year are due to earaches . Surveillance figures show that resistance among S. pneumoniae, the most common bacterial cause of ear infections, is approaching 50 percent in the United States.
The group concluded that amoxicillin remains the oral antibiotic of choice for the treatment of DRSP. However, the steady rise of antibiotic resistance, including beta-lactamase production, as well as DRSP, has led to an increased number of treatment failures, presenting difficult challenges for the physician. The guidelines provide strong direction for treating these patients. For those not responding to amoxicillin treatment after three days, the group recommends three antibiotics: AugmentinÆ (amoxicillin-clavulanate), CeftinÆ (cefuroxime axetil) and intramuscular injections of RocephinÆ (ceftriaxone). --more--
ìMany doctors have become used to prescribing antibiotics based on convenient dosing, taste or cost,î said Michael Poole, MD, Professor of Pediatric Surgery and Otolaryngology, University of Texas Medical School at Houston, and member of the CDC working group. ìHowever, in this time of increasing multi-drug resistance, we must be sure that antibiotics are appropriately prescribed to ensure effective treatment. The high incidence of DRSP should be a major consideration in doctorsà empiric prescribing decisions.î
Doctors typically treat ear infections empirically, based on their patientsà symptoms and before having information about the specific bacteria causing the infection. There are three bacteria responsible for most earaches, with S. pneumoniae being the most prevalent. S. pneumoniae causes about half of all ear infections while Haemophilus influenzae accounts for 20 to 30 percent and Moraxella catarrhalis accounts for 10 to 15 percent. Augmentin is one of the three antibiotics recommended by the working group that is reliably effective in treating infections caused by all three of these bacteria.
The CDC working group noted that many of the 13 other antibiotics indicated for use in otitis media ìlack good evidence for efficacy against DRSP.î Existing scientific studies do not support the use of these drugs in treating middle ear infections caused by DRSP.
Factors to consider in assessing the risk for infection with a resistant strain include recent antibiotic exposure, age, and day care attendance.
Augmentin is contraindicated in patients with a history of allergic reactions to any penicillin or Augmentin-associated cholestatic jaundice or hepatic dysfunction.
SmithKline Beecham -- one of the world's leading healthcare companies -- discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets pharmaceuticals, vaccines, over-the-counter medicines, and health-related consumer products, and provides healthcare services including clinical-laboratory testing, disease management, and pharmaceutical-benefit management. For company information, visit SmithKline Beecham on the World Wide Web at http://www.sb.com.
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Note to Editors: Please call for full prescribing information about Augmentin. Ceftin is a registered trademark of Glaxo Wellcome, Inc. Rocephin is a registered trademark of Roche Pharmaceuticals.
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