A multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial is being undertaken in Australia and New Zealand to investigate the efficacy of azithromycin in reducing the rate of pulmonary exacerbations in indigenous children with bronchiectasis. The trial is including Aboriginal, Torres Strait Island, Māori and Pacific children aged 1 to 8 years who have had ≥1 pulmonary exacerbation in the last 12 months. They will be randomised to receive azithromycin 30 mg/kg once a week or placebo for 12-24 months. Should the trial demonstrate efficacy of azithromycin in reducing pulmonary exacerbations, ‘it will provide a much-needed rationale for the use of long-term antibiotics in the medical management of bronchiectasis in indigenous children.’
