Fosfomycin, the most widely prescribed antibiotic today to treat cystitis, has little or no effectiveness, according to a new study published in JAMA.
Doctors from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and University Hospitals of Geneva (HUG), Switzerland, recently analyzed two antibiotics commonly used against mild urinary tract infections, and found that the most widely prescribed antibiotic today hui to treat cystitis was not, or very ineffective.
Reassess old antibiotics
The study, published in the journal JAMA, shows how important it is to re-evaluate old antibiotics against current standards. Suffering from urinary tract infection, 513 women from Geneva (Switzerland), Tel Aviv (Israel) and Lodz (Poland) were randomly selected for treatment with fosfomycin or nitrofurantoin. They were between 18 and 101 years old.
The most commonly prescribed medication for cystitis today is fosfomycin, which is taken as a single sachet as a single dose. Nitrofurantoin, supplied as tablets to be taken three times a day for five days, is almost three times less recommended.
Soon powerless against some infections
After bacterial checks, the results were clear: 70% of the women had reacted very well to nitrofurantoin, noting a complete disappearance of their symptoms. 74% had cleared the bacteria present in their urine, while only 58% of women receiving fosfomycin had their symptoms disappeared and 63% had cleared the bacteria. “Since a woman already has a 33% chance of to recover from cystitis without taking an antibiotic, these results show that fosfomycin has little effect, even if it is the treatment most often prescribed by the medical community “, analyzes Dr. Angela Huttner, author of the research.
Conversely, the rate of success and side effects of nitrofurantoin in the treatment of UTIs was comparable to that of other newer classes of antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, making it a suitable substitute. “We currently estimate that up to 20% of the bacterial population responsible for urinary tract infections is resistant to ciprofloxacin, a very effective broad-spectrum antibiotic,” concludes Angela Huttner. “It is therefore essential to reserve the use of this antibiotic for severe cases! If we do not do this, we will soon be powerless against some infections.”
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