The author of a related editorial comments that the results of this study confirm those of approval studies for ceftaroline - although it was shown in these to be non-inferior to ceftriaxone, pooled data showed numerically higher cure rates. The current study utilised a 2g daily dose of ceftriaxone (as opposed to a 1 daily dose, as used in the approval studies which was criticised as being too low), and demonstrated the superiority of ceftaroline in this patient population. They suggest possible explanations for the superiority of ceftaroline fosamil over ceftriaxone, including its better bactericidal activity and faster treatment response, and that it may have reached higher tissue concentrations.
The author points out that this study, like many others, included only moderately to severely ill patients, which means that the benefits of new antibiotics compared with older ones can be shown for measures such as clinical cure, but not for health-care relevant outcomes such as length of hospital stay or mortality. They call for more focus on the investigation of antibiotics for severe disease, to help tackle the high mortality caused by pneumonia.