Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 17, 2026
Antimicrobial Synergy Testing by the Inkjet Printer-assisted Automated Checkerboard Array and the Manual Time-kill Method
Published on: April 18, 2019
[A blinded comparison of palatability of 13 common pediatric antibiotic suspensions]
Przemysław Kardas1, Magdalena Muras
1Zakładu Medycyny Rodzinnej Uniwersytetu Medycznego w Lodzi. pkardas@csk.am.lodz.pl
Insights
Antibiotic palatability significantly impacts pediatric treatment adherence. Cephalosporins were rated best, while clindamycin and macrolides were least palatable, influencing antibiotic choice for children.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Pediatrics
- Drug Development
Background:
- Antibiotic non-compliance is a major cause of treatment failure in pediatric respiratory infections.
- The organoleptic properties (taste, smell, texture) of antibiotic suspensions critically affect children's adherence to therapy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the organoleptic characteristics of commonly prescribed pediatric antibiotic suspensions.
- To identify which antibiotic formulations exhibit superior palatability to potentially enhance patient compliance.
Main Methods:
- A blind evaluation of 13 antibiotic suspensions by 25 volunteers.
- Assessment included appearance, smell, texture, taste, and aftertaste, with amoxicillin (Amotaks) as a reference.
- Statistical analysis utilized Duncan's test to compare overall scores.
Main Results:
- Significant variations in organoleptic scores were observed across antibiotic categories.
- Cephalosporins generally received the highest scores, followed by penicillins and co-trimoxazole, with clindamycin and macrolides scoring lowest.
- Pure amoxicillins were preferred over amoxicillins with clavulanic acid; Klacid (clarithromycin) showed better palatability than other clarithromycin preparations.
Conclusions:
- The organoleptic properties of antibiotic suspensions differ notably among various drugs.
- These sensory characteristics can significantly influence patient compliance and should be considered during antibiotic selection for pediatric infections.
Unlabelled:
Non-compliance is one of the leading reasons of therapy failure in case of antibiotherapy of respiratory tract infections in children. The organoleptic characteristic of the antibiotic suspension has strong influence on compliance in children. The aim of the present study was to compare taste and the other organoleptic factors of commonly prescribed antibiotics in order to find which of them are palatable to the extent which may positively influence patient compliance.
Methods:
13 antibiotic suspensions were arbitrary chosen for the comparison. These drugs were blindly evaluated by 25 volunteers as to the appearance, smell, texture, taste and aftertaste compared to amoxycillin (Amotaks) as a reference dug. The overall score was calculated, as well. In the statistical analysis Duncan's test was used.
Results:
The important diversity of scores of assessed antibiotics was observed in every category. In most cases clindamycin and macrolides obtained the lowest scores, penicillins and co-trimoxazol--medium ones and cephalosporins--the best scores. Among penicillins, amoxicillins with clavulanic acids were scored lower than pure amoxicillins. In overall score, different preparations of the same substance obtained similar scores, statistically non-different, with one exception for clarithromycin, in which Klacid was characterized by better palatability.
Conclusion:
Observed differences in organoleptic characteristics of studied drugs may significantly influence patient compliance and therefore should be taken into consideration in the case of antibiotic selection for the treatment of infection in children.
Related Concept Videos
01:22Pharmaceutical Alternatives: Stability-Related Therapeutic Nonequivalence
01:23Pharmacokinetics in Pediatric Patients: Overview and Drug Absorption
00:57Antibiotic Selection
01:29Drug Dosing: Infants and Children