Cephalosporins

Dr Vernon Coleman





The cephalosporins are widely used antibiotics. You may have come across them. Your doctor may have prescribed them for you. You should read the following paragraph which appeared in my book `The Medicine Men’ in 1975:

`There are some entire groups of drugs which many doctors believe should not be prescribed by general practitioners. The cephalosporins are an example of a best-selling group of drugs which are advertised widely but which should perhaps not be promoted so enthusiastically. These new antibiotics were discovered by two doctors working in Oxford, who showed that the nucleus of the cephalosporin molecule was chemically related to the nucleus of the penicillins. Teams in Britain, in the United States and other countries built up a range of semi-synthetic antibiotics around this nucleus. In 1956, one company's research laboratories began work on large scale production and in November 1964 they produced a drug called Ceporin.In the British National Formulary for 1974-6 the cephalosporins are discussed thus: 'When cephalosporins are used extensively strains of staphylococci emerge which are resistant to methicillin and cloxacillin as well as the cephalosporins. This limits the use of these drugs to particular situations where the choice of drug is restricted and the sensitivity tests favourable.' This comment is not mentioned on the data sheet issued in Britain for Ceporex (one of the biggest selling cephalosporins in the UK) and indeed the drug is widely advertised for general use. Glaxo, which is the company making Ceporex, have advertised the drug for such widely occurring diseases as cystitis and bronchitis: 'Ceporex has achieved a success rate of 92 per cent in acute cystitis' and '94 per cent success rate with cephalexin in acute bronchitis'. The headlines with these advertisements read 'Ceporex clears cystitis' and 'Ceporex syrup beats bronchitis'. The drug has also been advertised as being particularly suitable for children. In the Glaxo annual report for the year ending June 1973 the chairman commented proudly that there had been an upsurge in demand for the cephalosporins made by the company.’

NOTE
`The Medicine Men’ by Vernon Coleman is now available again via the bookshop on www.vernoncoleman.com

Copyright Vernon Coleman 1975 and 2024





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