Dirithromycin

General information

Adverse reactions to dirithromycin were studied in 4263 patients [ ]. There was abdominal pain in 5.6%, diarrhea in 5.0%, and nausea in 4.9%. Headache was relatively common (4.5%). In 63% of cases the adverse events were considered mild, in 31% moderate, and in 6.3% severe. Adverse events resulted in withdrawal in 3.1%, mainly because of gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea and abdominal pain.

In a randomized, investigator-blinded, parallel-group trial in acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dirithromycin 500 mg/day was well tolerated; the most frequent adverse events were chest pain and paresthesia [ ].

Organs and systems