The need for controlled clinical studies in antimicrobial therapy.

In recent years in-vitro and in-vivo studies have greatly advanced our understanding of the action of antimicrobial agents and have opened new potential avenues for treatment of infectious diseases. Unfortunately, little interest or financial support has been available to test these observations in rigid, controlled clinical studies. New regimens have thus been used without proof of increased efficacy of reduced toxicity over old regimens. Carefully controlled clinical trials are particularly needed to evaluate the efficacy, toxicity, and cost of newly developed regimens in the therapy of chronic bacterial and fungal infections.