An open, comparative pilot study of thiamphenicol glycinate hydrochloride vs clarithromycin in the treatment of acute lower respiratory tract infections due to Chlamydia pneumoniae.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of thiamphenicol glycinate hydrochloride (TGH) i.m. versus clarithromycin in acute lower respiratory infections due to Chlamydia pneumonia. 113 patients with suspected pneumonia were screened. 40 patients with IgM and/or IgA titers > or = 1:16 and/or IgG titers > or = 1:512 were assigned to 10 days of treatment with TGH 1500 mg daily or clarithromycin 1000 mg daily. 34 patients were considered a clinical success. 33 patients were a radiological success. 22 patients showed a decrease in IgG values. 3 patients had an increase in IgG values. Blood/urine values presented no clinically significant variations. Clinical efficacy was similar in both treatment groups. These are the first results confirming in vivo the recent in vitro evidence that TGH is effective against acute lower respiratory tract infections due to C. pneumoniae, thus representing an alternative therapy to clarithromycin.