Summary of clinical experience with cefpodoxime proxetil in adults in Japan

Cefpodoxime proxetil is an oral cephem antibiotic of a new ester type, developed by Sankyo Co., Ltd in Japan. It has a broad antibacterial spectrum, which includes Staphylococcus, and a long half-life, allowing twice-daily administration. In Japan, clinical studies on this drug were performed in various fields, including internal medicine, surgery, urology, otorhinolaryngology, and obstetrics and gynaecology. Good or excellent clinical responses were observed in 2275 of 2902 patients analysed, giving a 78.4% efficacy rate overall. Side effects occurred in 98 patients (2.7%); these were mainly gastrointestinal and included diarrhoea, nausea, and vomiting. Abnormal laboratory test results observed included increased AST in 2.8% (55 of 1973), increased ALT in 3.2% (63 of 1965), and eosinophilia in 2.4% (36 of 1521).