Revisiting Amoxicillin Dose and Duration in Children with Community-Acquired Pneumonia: Is Less Just as Good?

In 2011, the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society developed guidelines for treatment of community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Recommendations for children older than 6 months with probable bacterial pneumonia included initial therapy with high-dose amoxicillin aimed at antibiotic-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae. Now, researchers in the U.K. and Ireland have conducted a randomized, placebo-controlled noninferiority trial to compare low-dose (35–50 mg/kg) versus high-dose (70–90 mg/kg) amoxicillin given for 3 or 7 days as outpatient treatment in 824 children (aged >6 months). Participants were followed for 28 days (primary endpoint, need for treatment with additional antibiotics for a respirato…