| Methods |
RCT comparing clarithromycin with erythromycin in children with pneumonia |
| Participants |
Children between 3 to 16 years of age with radiographically confirmed pneumonia |
| Interventions |
PO clarithromycin (15 mg/kg/day) for 10 days or erythromycin 40 mg/kg/day for 10 days |
| Outcomes |
Cure rates, resolution of signs and symptoms, improvement, improved but non‐resolution of signs and symptoms, failure or worsening |
| Notes |
Exclusion: hypersensitivity to macrolides, severe renal or hepatic diseases, active tuberculosis, severe infections requiring intravenous antibiotics |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Random sequence generation (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
Patients were randomly allocated |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
Not mentioned clearly. Open‐label study. Study drugs were dispensed and compliance was monitored by third party |
| Blinding of participants and personnel (performance bias)
All outcomes |
High risk |
Unblinded study |
| Blinding of outcome assessment (detection bias)
All outcomes |
Low risk |
Investigator‐blinded study |
| Selective reporting (reporting bias) |
Low risk |
No selective reporting |
| Incomplete outcome data (attrition bias)
All outcomes |
Low risk |
Incomplete data adequately addressed |
| Other bias |
Unclear risk |
Funded by Abbott Laboratories and role of funding agency not clear |
