Systematic review and meta-analysis of the safety of erythromycin compared to clarithromycin in adults and adolescents with pneumonia.

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the safety of erythromycin compared to clarithromycin in adults and adolescents with pneumonia. J Chemother. 2019 Oct 25;:1-6 Authors: Eljaaly K, Botaish A, Bahobail F, Almehmadi M, Assabban Z, Thabit AK, Alraddadi B, Aljabri A, Alqahtani N, Aseeri MA, Hashim A, Torres A Abstract Macrolides are recommended for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). It is debatable whether erythromycin is associated with more adverse drug reactions (ADRs) compared to clarithromycin, and both are recommended in clinical practice guidelines. This meta-analysis aim is to compare ADRs in CAP patients treated with erythromycin versus clarithromycin. Two investigators independently searched PubMed, EMBASE and Cochrane Library databases through Feb 07, 2019. Randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) comparing ADRs of monotherapy with erythromycin versus with clarithromycin in adults or adolescents with CAP were included. We estimated risk ratios (RRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) using random-effects models and evaluated heterogeneity (I2). Bias risk was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool for RCTs. Five RCTs (total of 693 patients) were included. A significantly higher discontinuation rate due to ADRs was found with erythromycin compared with clarithromycin (RR, 4.347; 95% CI, 2.506-7.539; p < 0.001; I2=0%). Overall, ADRs occurred more significantly with erythromycin compared with clarit...
Source: Journal of Chemotherapy - Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: J Chemother Source Type: research