{"id":54,"date":"2026-08-27T13:14:44","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T13:14:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.rhino-health.org\/results\/"},"modified":"2026-08-27T13:14:44","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T13:14:44","slug":"results","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/rhino-health.org\/?page_id=54","title":{"rendered":"Results"},"content":{"rendered":"
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AZTEC results<\/div>\n

What did the AZTEC Trial find?<\/h1>\n

AZTEC asked whether giving azithromycin soon after birth could improve survival without chronic lung disease in babies born before 30 weeks\u2019 gestation.<\/p>\n

Main finding:<\/strong> routine early prophylactic azithromycin did not improve survival without physiologically defined moderate or severe chronic lung disease.<\/div>\n
799 randomised<\/span>796 analysed<\/span>28 UK NICUs<\/span>Published 2024<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Primary outcome<\/small><\/p>\n

42.1% vs 44.5%<\/h3>\n

Adjusted OR 0.84 (95% CI 0.55\u20131.29), p=0.43.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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\"AZTEC<\/div>\n
Interpreting the result<\/div>\n

What does this mean?<\/h2>\n

The trial does not support routine early prophylactic azithromycin for all infants born before 30 weeks\u2019 gestation as a strategy to improve the primary clinical outcome. Importantly, the trial also generated detailed safety, microbiology and antimicrobial-resistance data that continue to inform neonatal practice and future research.<\/p>\n

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Clinical effectiveness<\/h3>\n

No statistically significant improvement was demonstrated in the primary outcome.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n

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Safety<\/h3>\n

The main trial did not identify a signal that changed the overall conclusion about the safety of the regimen used in AZTEC.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n

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Mechanistic evidence<\/h3>\n

Laboratory analyses provide additional information on airway inflammation, Ureaplasma<\/em>, microbiology and antimicrobial resistance.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Beyond the primary endpoint<\/div>\n

Why the AZTEC dataset remains important<\/h2>\n

A negative primary trial result can still substantially advance clinical science. AZTEC provides a large, deeply characterised neonatal cohort with linked treatment, clinical, laboratory, microbiological and follow-up data.<\/p>\n

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Antimicrobial resistance<\/h3>\n

Studies of gut and respiratory microbiota evaluate baseline macrolide resistance and the effects of azithromycin exposure.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n

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Longer-term outcomes<\/h3>\n

Follow-up at one and two years, and subsequent work, examines whether neonatal exposure is associated with later respiratory, growth, developmental or safety outcomes.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n

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Results in animation<\/div>\n

Watch the findings explained visually<\/h2>\n

The animation summarises the trial question, intervention and principal result.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Video blocked until you allow external media<\/strong><\/p>\n

The AZTEC animation is supplied by YouTube and will load only after you allow external media.<\/p>\n