Comparing 7-day and 14-day antibiotic courses for COPD flare-ups in hospital
Compares a 7-day and a 14-day antibiotic course in adults hospitalized with COPD flare-ups.
Plain-language title generated from the registry record
Registry title: Evaluating Customized Antibiotic Duration (CDA) Strategy in Acute Exacerbations of COPD
Key facts
- Where
- Islamabad, PakistanSee the site
Could this be for you?
Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.
- Are you between 18 and 90 years old?
Source: NCT07708337, who can take part
Where in Pakistan
- CDA Hospital IslamabadIslamabad, PakistanNo longer taking part
Questions to ask the study team
- How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
- Are travel costs paid?
- Can I keep my own doctor?
- What happens if I want to stop?
Trial details
- Who runs it
- Capital Development Authority (CDA)
- Trial code
- NCT07708337
- Record updated
- 7 October 2026
- Original description
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a shorter course of antibiotics (7 days) works as well as the usual longer course (14 days) for adults admitted to hospital with a flare-up of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a long-term lung disease. The trial takes place at CDA Hospital Islamabad, Pakistan.Read full original descriptionShow less
Evaluating Customized Antibiotic Duration (CDA) Strategy in Acute Exacerbations of COPD: Protocol for Randomized Controlled Trial
The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a shorter course of antibiotics (7 days) works as well as the usual longer course (14 days) for adults admitted to hospital with a flare-up of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a long-term lung disease. The trial takes place at CDA Hospital Islamabad, Pakistan.
The main questions it aims to answer are:
* Do patients who take antibiotics for 7 days recover as well by Day 30 as patients who take them for 14 days? * Does the shorter course lead to fewer side effects and less antibiotic use, without more treatment failures, relapses or hospital readmissions? Researchers will compare a 7-day antibiotic course with the usual 14-day course to see if the shorter course is just as effective.
Participants will:
* Be assigned by chance (like flipping a coin) to take antibiotics for either 7 days or 14 days. Their doctor chooses which antibiotic to use. * Receive all other usual hospital care for their COPD flare-up. * Have check-ups about 3-5 days, 7 days, 14 days and 30 days after joining the trial, in hospital or by telephone, to record their symptoms, any side effects and any return to hospital.
About 560 adults will take part.
Inclusion: Adults aged 18 years or older; Physician-diagnosed COPD, confirmed by post-bronchodilator spirometry (FEV1/FVC < 0.70) where available, or by documented previous spirometry consistent with COPD; A current acute exacerbation of COPD for which the treating physician judges antibiotic therapy to be necessary, with at least two of the three cardinal symptoms (increased dyspnoea, increased sputum volume, increased sputum purulence); Able and willing to give written informed consent and to follow the study procedures and follow-up schedule.
Exclusion: Previous enrolment in this trial, or current participation in another interventional trial in AECOPD; A documented infection that requires a defined, longer antibiotic course, such as pneumonia with complications, an exacerbation of bronchiectasis, lung abscess or empyema; Severe immunosuppression, for example neutropenia, active malignancy under chemotherapy, organ transplantation or advanced HIV infection; Suspected or confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis, or another respiratory infection that needs a different antimicrobial approach; Need for immediate admission to intensive care or for invasive mechanical ventilation at presentation; Pregnancy or breastfeeding; Systemic antibiotic treatment for the current exacerbation started more than 48 hours before randomisation.