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Journal List > West J Med > v.160(1); Jan 1994

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West J Med. 1994 January; 160(1): 31–37.
PMCID: PMC1022251
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The new macrolides. Azithromycin and clarithromycin.
M S Kanatani and B J Guglielmo
Division of Clinical Pharmacy, University of California, School of Pharmacy, San Francisco 94143-0622.
Abstract
Clarithromycin and azithromycin are among the new generation of macrolides that have recently been approved for use. Compared with currently available antibiotics, these agents may be given less frequently and, in the case of azithromycin, for a shorter duration. In vitro data suggest an antimicrobial advantage of both clarithromycin and azithromycin against atypical mycobacterial and toxoplasmal species and possibly Haemophilus influenzae. The cost of both these agents is substantially higher than that of erythromycin and doxycycline, although the convenience of single-dose azithromycin is appealing compared with a 7-day course of doxycycline for chlamydial urethritis and cervicitis. These agents appear to offer advantages over erythromycin in the treatment of Mycobacterium avium-intracellulare. Additional data are needed to establish their role in other bacterial infections.
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Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
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