Abbott Laboratories announced that a new FDA-approved 250mg/5mL dosing option of the antibiotic Omnicef (cefdinir) Oral Suspension (OS) is available for use in paediatric patients six months to 12 years old.

Omnicef OS is proven to effectively treat mild to moderate bacterial infections such as ear infections, sinus infections, strep throat and skin infections.

The US FDA based its approval on the supplemental new drug application filed by Abbott on March 26, 2004. Omnicef OS was originally approved in 1997 at 125mg/5mL to treat bacterial infections in children. Omnicef is included in many treatment guidelines, such as those published by the American Academy of Paediatrics.

The new formulation was approved based on a bioequivalence study of the Omnicef OS new 250mg/5mL dosage compared to the original 125mg/5mL. To be considered bioequivalent, the two dosage formulations must perform the same when given under similar conditions in clinical studies.

"For children who need a liquid antibiotic formulation, this new dosage allows physicians to prescribe less volume per dose, reducing the overall amount of medication administered," said Manford Gooch, an adjunct professor at the University of Utah School of Medicine. "Importantly, it retains Omnicef's attractive qualities, including the flexibility of being taken without regard to meals and without refrigeration and it still has the same strawberry flavour," he added.

"Omnicef Oral Suspension has been proven to effectively treat bacterial infections in children, and we're pleased that we can offer parents a new option that allows them to give their children less volume at each dose," Scott Brun, divisional vice president, Infectious Disease Drug Development, Abbott Laboratories said adding, "This concentrated formula will be more convenient for parents to administer and easier for children to take all of their medication."

According to the release, the more concentrated 250mg/5mL formulation allows parents to administer fewer teaspoons per dose of the antibiotic to their children. When using the 250mg/5mL formula, parents administer half of the volume as compared to the standard formula (125mg/5mL).