@article {McCormack:2005:1176-3450:361,
	author = "McCormack, Paul L.",
	author = "Keating, Gillian M.",
	title = "Spotlight on Amoxicillin/Clavulanic Acid 2000mg/125mg Extended Release (XR) in Respiratory Tract Infections in Adults",
	journal = "Treatments in Respiratory Medicine",
	volume = "4",
	year = "2005",
	abstract = "Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid 2000mg/125mg extended release (Augmentin XR&#8482;), referred to herein as amoxicillin/clavulanic acid XR, is a pharmacokinetically enhanced formulation designed to provide more effective therapy in adults and adolescents than conventional formulations against community-acquired respiratory tract pathogens, particularly <I>Streptococcus pneumoniae</I>, with reduced susceptibility to amoxicillin.<P></P>Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid XR maintains plasma amoxicillin concentrations &#62;4 &#181;g/mL for a mean of 49% of the dosing interval indicating that it would be highly effective against <I>S. pneumoniae</I> strains with minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) above the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standard&#39;s amoxicillin &#177; clavulanic acid susceptibility breakpoint of &#8804;2 &#181;g/mL. Amoxicillin/clavulanic acid XR is at least as effective as conventional amoxicillin/clavulanic acid formulations, levofloxacin, and clarithromycin in treating community-acquired pneumonia, acute bacterial sinusitis, or acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis, and has a tolerability profile comparable to that of conventional amoxicillin/clavulanic acid formulations. While the incidence of amoxicillin- or multidrug-resistant <I>S. pneumoniae</I> is not currently sufficient in most regions to warrant the routine empiric use of amoxicillin/clavulanic acid XR, the drug would be extremely useful in those regions with a high incidence of resistant pathogens or in selected patients (i.e. those with <I>S. pneumoniae</I> isolates having amoxicillin MICs &#8805;2 &#181;g/mL but &#8804;4 &#181;g/mL).",
	pages = "361-362(2)",
	url = "http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/adis/trm/2005/00000004/00000005/art00007"
}