International journal of antimicrobial agents
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Int. J. Antimicrob. Agents · Jul 2004
ReviewClarithromycin in 2003: sustained efficacy and safety in an era of rising antibiotic resistance.
Data from surveillance studies show increasing prevalence of respiratory pathogens resistant to commonly used antibiotics. Thus, a Medline search was conducted to identify studies of clarithromycin, especially those addressing macrolide resistance. ⋯ The incidence of clarithromycin treatment failure in patients infected with Streptococcus pneumoniae is substantially less than that predicted by macrolide resistance rates from surveillance programmes. In summary, despite widespread use since its introduction, clarithromycin remains active both in vitro and in vivo against clinically relevant respiratory tract pathogens.