Enhancing children's satisfaction with antibiotic therapy: A taste study of several antibiotic suspensions

Abstract

Objective This randomized, single-blind, paired-comparison crossover study was conducted (1) to compare the taste of cefuroxime axetil suspension (125 mg/5 mL or 250 mg/5 mL) with that of 3 other antibiotic suspensions (cefpodoxime proxetil 100 mg/5 mL, clarithromycin 250 mg/5 mL, and amoxicillin 250 mg/5 mL); and (2) to determine the effect of a chocolate syrup chaser on the payability of the cefuroxime axetil suspension. Methods Two hundred children aged 3 to 8 years received cefuroxime axetil and 1 of 4 other treatments in counterbalanced order. They were asked to indicate which medicine tasted better and rated immediate taste (directly after dosing) and aftertaste (60 seconds after dosing) using a 5-point facial hedonic scale (from 1 = really bad to 5 = really good). Results Cefuroxime axetil suspension was chosen as the bettertasting medicine less often than amoxicillin suspension and at least as often as cefpodoxime proxetil and clarithromycin suspensions. Cefuroxime axetil with a chocolate syrup chaser was chosen as the better-tasting medicine over cefuroxime axetil alone by 73% of the children. The mean immediate-taste and aftertaste scores for cefuroxime axetil were similar to those for cefpodoxime proxetil and clarithromycin, and significantly lower than those for amoxicillin ( P < 0.05, Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test). The mean immediatetaste score for cefuroxime axetil suspension followed by a chocolate syrup chaser was similar to that for cefuroxime axetil alone, but the mean aftertaste score for cefuroxime axetil with a chocolate syrup chaser (3.61) was significantly higher than that for cefuroxime axetil alone (2.70; P < 0.05, Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test) and similar to that for amoxicillin suspension (3.93). Older children (aged 6–8 years) tended to score all medications less favorably than did younger children (aged 3–5 years). The children tended to score the first medicine tried more favorably than they did the second. Conclusions Children rated the cefuroxime axetil suspension as not tasting as good as amoxicillin suspension but at least as good as suspensions of cefpodoxime proxetil and clarithromycin. With the chocolate syrup chaser, the aftertaste of cefuroxime axetil was rated as palatable as that of amoxicillin and more palatable than that of cefpodoxime proxetil or clarithromycin.