A Study of the Safety and Effectiveness of Levofloxacin Compared With Cefaclor in the Treatment of Adults With Chronic Bronchitis Experiencing Rapid Onset of Worsening of Symptoms Caused by Bacteria

Johnson & Johnson (J&J)

Status and phase

Completed

Phase 3

Phase 2

Conditions

Bronchitis, Chronic

Bronchitis

Treatments

Drug: levofloxacin

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Industry

Identifiers

NCT00257140

CR005494

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of levofloxacin, an antibiotic, compared with cefaclor, another antibiotic, in the treatment of adults with chronic bronchitis experiencing rapid onset of worsening of symptoms caused by bacteria.

Full description

This is a randomized, open-label, parallel group, multicenter study to determine the effectiveness and safety of 488 mg of levofloxacin (once daily by mouth for 5 - 7 days) compared with 250 mg of cefaclor (every 8 hours for 7 - 10 days) in adults with chronic bronchitis experiencing rapid onset of worsening of symptoms caused by bacterial infection. The study consists of 3 visits: one visit for screening and enrollment, and 2 visits for assessment of safety and effectiveness (one visit on Days 3 - 5 of the study and one visit [post-therapy] 5 - 7 days after the last dose of the study drug). The total duration of patient participation in the study is approximately 2 weeks. Levofloxacin and cefaclor are antibacterial agents used for the treatment of many types of infections, including infections with a rapid onset and brief duration caused by bacteria. The primary assessment of effectiveness in this study is the microbiologic response to treatment (the rate of elimination of disease-causing bacteria, by patient, and by type of bacteria), 5 - 7 days after the last dose of study drug. Safety evaluations (incidence of adverse events, physical examination, laboratory tests) are performed throughout the study. The study hypothesis is that treatment with levofloxacin is at least as effective and as well tolerated as treatment with cefaclor in adult patients with chronic bronchitis experiencing sudden worsening of symptoms caused by bacterial infection. Levofloxacin 488 mg by mouth once daily for 5 - 7 days, or cefaclor 250 mg by mouth every 8 hours for 7 - 10 days.

Enrollment

367 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

Diagnosis of chronic bronchitis with a rapid onset of worsening of symptoms caused by bacteria
history of chronic obstructive lung disease (chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema)
recent increase in cough
change in type of sputum (the mucus produced on coughing) and/or an increase in the production of sputum
received previous antibiotic treatment if the previous treatment lasted for 24 hours or less, or if the previous treatment lasted longer than 24 hours but there was no improvement or stabilization of the disease.

Exclusion criteria

Illness requiring antibiotic treatment by injection into a vein, beneath the skin, or into a muscle, or has a requirement of an antibiotic medication taken orally in addition to the study drug
infection due to bacteria known (prior to the start of the study) to be resistant to the study drug
previous allergic or serious adverse reaction to similar antibiotics
diagnosis of pneumonia, determined by a chest x-ray at the start of the trial
has cystic fibrosis, seizure disorders, kidney disease, or an unstable psychiatric condition.