Garenoxacin shows promise for community-acquired pneumonia

An experimental fluoroquinole compared favorably with amoxicillin or ceftriaxone for treating community-acquired pneumonia in two phase III trials, researchers reported in poster presentations at the annual Inter-science Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. One study of 308 outpatients in Europe and Russia with mild to moderate community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) showed similar response rates in patients given 5 days of oral garenoxacin or 10 days of oral amoxicillin.

The company is developing garenoxacin and the lead investigator in the study was of Ege University, Izmir, Turkey. Evaluations 7-14 days after completing therapy showed clinical responses in 91% of patients randomized to once-daily doses of 400 mg garenoxacin and in 87% of patients given amoxicillin 1 g t.i.d.

Bacterial eradication was achieved in 88% of the garenoxacin group and 91% of the amoxicillin group. Drug-related adverse events — most commonly diarrhea, headache, abdominal pain, and nausea — were seen in 13% of patients in the garenoxacin group and 12% of those in the amoxicillin group.

The second study of 406 hospitalized patients with CAP showed an 88% clinical cure rate in 328 evaluable patients regardless of treatment group. Patients were randomized to either IV garenoxacin 400 mg/day with possible step-down to oral carithromycin 500 mg b.i.d. If atypical pneumonia was suspected, the ceftriaxone patients also could receive IV erythromycin 0.5-1 g every 6 hours. Patients were treated for 7-14 days and evaluated for cure 7-14 days after completing therapy.