Reviewer's report
Title:Short-term triple therapy with azithromycin for Helicobacter pylori
eradication: low cost, high compliance, but low efficacy.
Version: 1Date:20 November 2007
Reviewer: David Y Graham
Reviewer's report:
General The authors evaluated azithromycin for H. pylori eradication. The
success rate was low and they do not recommend this approach. The reason for
trying this approach was to find a low cost regimen for Brazil.
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Major Compulsory Revisions (that the author must respond to before a decision
on publication can be reached)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minor Essential Revisions (such as missing labels on figures, or the wrong use of
a term, which the author can be trusted to correct)
Critique: There are a number of prior studies with azithromycin showing that it
was not an effective anti-H. pylori antimicrobial. There are macrolides other than
clarithromycin that are effective but possibly they are not available in Brazil. It is
not clear how the sample size of 60 was chosen. The manuscript could be
shortened by at least 30-40% as it has one message: we tried this therapy and it
did not work.
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Discretionary Revisions (which the author can choose to ignore)
What next?: Accept after minor essential revisions
Level of interest: An article of limited interest
Quality of written English: Acceptable
Statistical review: No, the manuscript does not need to be seen by a
statistician.
Declaration of competing interests:
Dr. Graham has received small amounts of grant support and/or free drugs or
urea breath tests from Meretek, Jannsen/Eisai, and TAP, and BioHit for
investigator initiated and completely investigator controlled research. Dr. Graham
is a consultant for Novartis in relation to vaccine development for treatment or
prevention of H. pylori infection. Dr. Graham is a also paid consultant for Otsuka
Pharmaceuticals and a member of the Board of Directors of Meretek,
Diagnostics, the manufacturer of the 13C-urea breath test. Dr. Graham also
receives royalties on the Baylor College of Medicine patent covering the
serologic test, HM-CAP.
Reviewer's report
Title:Short-term triple therapy with azithromycin for Helicobacter pylori
eradication: low cost, high compliance, but low efficacy.
Version: 1Date:20 November 2007
Reviewer: David Y Graham
Reviewer's report:
General The authors evaluated azithromycin for H. pylori eradication. The
success rate was low and they do not recommend this approach. The reason for
trying this approach was to find a low cost regimen for Brazil.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Major Compulsory Revisions (that the author must respond to before a decision
on publication can be reached)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minor Essential Revisions (such as missing labels on figures, or the wrong use of
a term, which the author can be trusted to correct)
Critique: There are a number of prior studies with azithromycin showing that it
was not an effective anti-H. pylori antimicrobial. There are macrolides other than
clarithromycin that are effective but possibly they are not available in Brazil. It is
not clear how the sample size of 60 was chosen. The manuscript could be
shortened by at least 30-40% as it has one message: we tried this therapy and it
did not work.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Discretionary Revisions (which the author can choose to ignore)
What next?: Accept after minor essential revisions
Level of interest: An article of limited interest
Quality of written English: Acceptable
Statistical review: No, the manuscript does not need to be seen by a
statistician.
Declaration of competing interests:
Dr. Graham has received small amounts of grant support and/or free drugs or
urea breath tests from Meretek, Jannsen/Eisai, and TAP, and BioHit for
investigator initiated and completely investigator controlled research. Dr. Graham
is a consultant for Novartis in relation to vaccine development for treatment or
prevention of H. pylori infection. Dr. Graham is a also paid consultant for Otsuka
Pharmaceuticals and a member of the Board of Directors of Meretek,
Diagnostics, the manufacturer of the 13C-urea breath test. Dr. Graham also
receives royalties on the Baylor College of Medicine patent covering the
serologic test, HM-CAP.
Please review this paper.
user
Reviewer's report
Title:Short-term triple therapy with azithromycin for Helicobacter pylori
eradication: low cost, high compliance, but low efficacy.
Version: 1Date:20 November 2007
Reviewer: David Y Graham
Reviewer's report:
General The authors evaluated azithromycin for H. pylori eradication. The
success rate was low and they do not recommend this approach. The reason for
trying this approach was to find a low cost regimen for Brazil.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Major Compulsory Revisions (that the author must respond to before a decision
on publication can be reached)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Minor Essential Revisions (such as missing labels on figures, or the wrong use of
a term, which the author can be trusted to correct)
Critique: There are a number of prior studies with azithromycin showing that it
was not an effective anti-H. pylori antimicrobial. There are macrolides other than
clarithromycin that are effective but possibly they are not available in Brazil. It is
not clear how the sample size of 60 was chosen. The manuscript could be
shortened by at least 30-40% as it has one message: we tried this therapy and it
did not work.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Discretionary Revisions (which the author can choose to ignore)
What next?: Accept after minor essential revisions
Level of interest: An article of limited interest
Quality of written English: Acceptable
Statistical review: No, the manuscript does not need to be seen by a
statistician.
Declaration of competing interests:
Dr. Graham has received small amounts of grant support and/or free drugs or
urea breath tests from Meretek, Jannsen/Eisai, and TAP, and BioHit for
investigator initiated and completely investigator controlled research. Dr. Graham
is a consultant for Novartis in relation to vaccine development for treatment or
prevention of H. pylori infection. Dr. Graham is a also paid consultant for Otsuka
Pharmaceuticals and a member of the Board of Directors of Meretek,
Diagnostics, the manufacturer of the 13C-urea breath test. Dr. Graham also
receives royalties on the Baylor College of Medicine patent covering the
serologic test, HM-CAP.
assistant