Lung concentrations of telithromycin after oral dosing

Concentrations of telithromycin were measured in plasma, bronchial mucosa (BM), epithelial lining fluid (ELF) and alveolar macrophages (AM) following multiple oral doses. Concentrations were determined using a microbiological assay. There were 20 subjects in the study, allocated to three nominal time periods: 2, 12 and 24 h. Mean concentrations in plasma, BM, ELF and AM for 2, 12 and 24 h were as follows: 2 h, 1.86 mg/L, 3.88 mg/kg, 14.89 mg/L and 69.32 mg/L; 12 h, 0.23 mg/L, 1.41 mg/kg, 3.27 mg/L and 318.1 mg/L; and 24 h, 0.08 mg/L, 0.78 mg/kg, 0.97 mg/L and 161.57 mg/L. These concentrations of telithromycin in BM and ELF exceeded for 24 h the mean MIC90s of the common respiratory pathogens Streptococcus pneumoniae (0.12 mg/L) and Moraxella catarrhalis (0.03 mg/L), as well as the atypical microorganism Mycoplasma pneumoniae (0.001 mg/L), and suggest that telithromycin may be effective for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.