[Moxifloxacin in the treatment of chronic bronchitis--clinical evaluation and assessment by patients].

Background and method: The aim of this trial conducted in the offices of pneumologists was to evaluate the clinical success of a 5-day course of oral moxifloxacin administered once daily at a dose of 400 mg in 328 patients with acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis (Anthonisen type 1). In this non-comparative study, the results of treatment were assessed not merely on the basis of the clinical parameters, but also, for the first time, by the surrogate marker of patient satisfaction and the improvement in cough, dyspnea, chest pain and sputum, the severity of which was scored daily by the patient himself.

Results: Cough, chest pain and the purulence of the sputum improved rapidly within the first five days of treatment. At least 90% of the patients reported their satisfaction with the antibiotic. The clinical success rate (cure and improvement) for all the patients involved (ITT analysis) was 90.5%. The most common side effect was diarrhea, while the other side effects showed no specific pattern.