Shortening Antibiotic Therapy Possible for Community-Acquired Pneumonia

A new study conducted in France published in The Lancet on March 27, 2021, concluded 'Among patients admitted to hospital with community-acquired pneumonia who met clinical stability criteria, discontinuing β-lactam treatment after 3 days was non-inferior to 8 days of treatment.

The Pneumonia Short Treatment (PTC) phase 2 clinical trial was conducted in 16 hospitals in France and involved non-immunocompromised adult patients admitted to the hospital with moderately severe community-acquired pneumonia who met prespecified clinical criteria after 3 days of treatment with beta-lactam therapy.

From December 2013 to February 2018, 310 eligible patients were assigned to receive placebo (157) or beta-lactam treatment (153). In the intention-to-treat analysis, cure at day 15 occurred in 117 of 152 patients (77%) in the placebo group and 102 of 151 (68%) in the beta-lactam group (9.42% difference; 95% confidence interval, -0.38 to 20.04), indicating non-inferiority.

This study's findings 'could allow a substantial reduction of antibiotic consumption,' stated these researchers.

Community-acquired pneumonia is defined as pneumonia that is acquired outside the hospital. Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that can cause mild to severe illness in people of all ages, says the U.S. CDC.

Vaccines can prevent some types of pneumonia. In the USA, vaccines can help prevent infection by some of the bacteria and viruses that can cause pneumonia, such as

• Haemophilus influenzae type b
• Influenza
• Measles
• Pertussis
• Pneumococcal
• Varicella

These vaccines are safe, but side effects can occur. Most side effects are mild and go away on their own within a few days says the CDC.

The French Ministry of Health funded this new study.