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ABSTRACT
Purpose: To compare the speed of clinical efficacy for two currently available topical antibiotics: polymyxin B sulfate/trimethoprim (polymyxin/trimethoprim) and 0.5% moxifloxacin ophthalmic solution.
Methods: Eighty-four eyes of 56 patients younger than 18 years with a clinical diagnosis of bacterial conjunctivitis were enrolled in this multicenter study. Patients were randomly assigned to receive either 1 drop of polymyxin/trimethoprim four times daily for 7 days or 1 drop of 0.5% moxifloxacin three times daily for 7 days. Ocular signs and symptoms were evaluated at baseline and 24 and 48 hours after the start of dosing. Microbiological cultures were collected at baseline and 48 hours. Patients rated ocular symptoms and adverse events on day 7 via telephone interview. Primary efficacy assessment included relief of all signs and symptoms of bacterial conjunctivitis.
Results: All patients but one completed all visits. At the 48-hour visit, complete resolution of ocular signs and symptoms was observed in 81% of the patients treated with moxifloxacin and 44% of the patients treated with polymyxin/trimethoprim (P = .001). No adverse events were reported.
Conclusion: Moxifloxacin 0.5% administered three times daily is safe and cures bacterial conjunctivitis more effectively and significantly faster than polymyxin/trimethoprim dosed four times daily. The majority of patients were cured and symptom-free by 48 hours. Therefore, moxifloxacin is cost-effective and significantly more efficacious than polymyxin/trimethoprim in the speed by which it reduces the symptoms and disease transmission.
[J Pediatr Ophthalmol Strabismus 2008;45:340-349.]
INTRODUCTION
Conjunctivitis is a common disease with considerable social and economic consequences due to the disruption of patients' usual activities, such as lost days of school and work. This economic impact is amplified by the large percentage of cases occurring in children, with the resulting impact on parents or caregivers. Most cases of conjunctivitis are bacterial in origin.1-3 Haemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae are the most common causative organisms of bacterial conjunctivitis in children and have been associated with epidemics due to the highly contagious nature of the disease.1-5 Conjunctivitis caused by Staphylococcus aureus can occur in any age group and is the most common cause of bacterial conjunctivitis worldwide.4 The disease is characterized by discomfort, mucopurulent discharge, conjunctival injection, and morning matting of the eyelids.
The number of bacterial conjunctivitis cases in the United States for...