Activity of cefroxadine and cephalexin in urinary tract infections: a double-blind comparative study

Cefroxadine and cephalexin were compared in a double-blind study in patients with established, complicated urinary tract infections. The patients were treated orally with 1 g t.i.d. for five days. Bacterial counts in the urine were determined one, three and eight hours after the first dose and on the second, third and fifth days of treatment. A significant reduction in the bacterial count was seen one and three hours after the first dose and to a much greater extent eight hours after the dose. Reductions in the bacterial count were more frequent in the group treated with cefroxadine. The results during the first eight hours indicate that cefroxadine kills more rapidly than cephalexin; this is in agreement with the experimental findings. It is still uncertain whether the transient differences observed in the rates of inhibition are of clinical relevance.