What is the difference between Erythromycin and Clarithromycin?

Two of the most prescribed antibiotics are Erythromycin and Clarithromycin. A Japanese company created both drugs. Erythromycin is given to those who are allergic to penicillin. It is indicated for infections such as upper respiratory tract, lower respiratory tract, whooping cough, diphtheria, and primary syphilis. In contrast, Clarithromycin is indicated for infections, such as pharyngitis, tonsillitis, and community-acquired pneumonia.

It is thought to be better in fighting a host of different infections because it is better at fighting gram-positive bacterial strains than erythromycin, and Clarithromycin is said to be more tolerable than erythromycin.

Erythromycin and Clarithromycin are two different popular antibiotics that physicians prescribe for people. These two drugs that are formulated by a company in Japan are known as macrolide antibiotics. Talking about the structure of the two drugs, erythromycin was gotten from Streptomyces erythreus, and it is a pure antibiotic. Conversely, Clarithromycin happens to be a semi-synthetic macrolide, and it is not purely extracted from Streptomyces. In terms of history, erythromycin was firstly discovered from Streptomyces erythreus in the year 1952. On the other hand, clarithromycin is a semi-synthetic kind of erythromycin. It was formulated in the 1970s in Japan by the Taisho pharmaceuticals. Erythromycin is usually prescribed for infections caused by some microorganisms such as lower respiratory and upper respiratory tract infections, diphtheria, whooping cough, primary syphilis, and many more. Meanwhile, clarithromycin is recommended for mild and moderate infections like community-acquired pneumonia, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, and many more.