Netilmicin versus tobramycin in multi-centre studies

Abstract

In two prospective, randomized studies conducted in West Germany and involving 80 patients, netilmicin-ticarcillin was compared to tobramycin-ticarcillin in the treatment of serious systemic infections. Both regimens were essentially identical with respect to the clinical and bacteriological results they produced. The netilmicin group developed significantly less nephrotoxicity than the tobramycin group (0% versus 15%, P = 0.03). Ototoxicity also occurred less frequently in the netilmicin-treated patients (3% versus 10%, P = 0.4). In a large collaborative study involving 15 centres, 254 patients were enrolled. Clinical and bacteriological responses were excellent, with netilmicin and tobramycin equally effective, but the incidences of nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity were lower in patients treated with netilmicin than those receiving tobramycin.