FRIDAY, Sep. 27, 2002 (HealthDayNews) -- A drug that combines a well-known antibiotic with a potassium acid derivative has been cleared for use against some severe bacterial infections.
Specifically, Augmentin XR (amoxicillin/clavulanate potassium) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat adults who suffer from two communicable diseases: acute bacterial sinusitis (ABS) and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).
Augmentin XR is designed to help patients who are resistant to penicillin, the drug most often used to combat these diseases. This prescription drug is made by GlaxoSmithKline and is dispensed in tablet form.
Many bacteria have become penicillin-resistant in recent years, and it's estimated that the pneumonia Augmentin XR fights can't be combatted with penicillin in 20 percent of the cases nationwide.
Clinical trials involved more than 4,100 patients; side effects included diarrhea (15.6 percent), nausea (2.2 percent), yeast infection (2.1 percent) and abdominal pain (1.6 percent).
Acute bacterial sinusitis is more widespread than you might imagine. This page from Commoncold.org explains how the disease spreads.
This article from Postgraduate Medicine online addresses how community health professionals can combat the contagious aspects of pneumonia.
