Researchers at the Country University of Chicago, have been assessing the effectiveness of an an expensive, broad-spectrum antibiotic, Azithromycin, which is commonly prescribed for treatment of bronchitis, does not have any benefit.
They arbitrarily allocated 150 adults with acute bronchitis to either azithromycin or low-dose vitamin C. All patients got cough syrup (liquid dextromorphan) and an albuterol inhaler. There was no difference in quality-of-life scores between the two groups. Nine out of ten patients had returned to normal activities after a week, and 85 per cent found the albuterol inhaler helpful.Since there is a deficit of evidence that low-dose vitamin C is effective in treating bronchitis, we have to assume that azithromycin is ineffective too - according to this study. The researchers say it should not be prescribed to patients with acute bronchitis.
