Drug 'ineffective' against bronchitis

Bronchitis can make it difficult to breathe

A drug given to fight acute bronchitis is no better than low-dose vitamin C, according to research.

American scientists said doctors should now stop giving their patients the antibiotic azithromycin, which also goes under the brand name Zithromax.

Millions of people each year go to their doctor with acute bronchitis and most are given antibiotics, even though evidence suggests that most bronchitis is caused by a virus and not by bacteria.

The scientists took 230 people suffering from acute bronchitis and split them into two groups to test the effectiveness of the drug, which is marketed in the Americas and Japan, and low-dose vitamin C.

We conclude that azithromycin is ineffective and should not be prescribed for patients with acute bronchitis

Dr Arthur Evans

Beneficial

Both groups were given cough syrup and an inhaler as well.

The study in The Lancet said there had been no difference in quality-of-life scores between the two groups after seven days of treatment.

Dr Arthur Evans, from Cook County Hospital, Chicago, who led the study said: "These results show that azithromycin is no more effective than low-dose vitamin C for treatment of acute bronchitis.

"Given the lack of evidence that low-dose vitamin C is beneficial, we conclude that azithromycin is ineffective and should not be prescribed for patients with acute bronchitis."

Pfizer, who make Zithromax, said the drug targets only bacteria and is based on the assumption that sometimes coughing is caused by one of several bacteria types known to be killed by the drug.

Acute bronchitis usually lasts about 10 days. It may be caused by smoking, air pollution and viral or bacterial infections.