In recent years, rhinosinusitis has become a major health problem and its incidence is steadily increasing throughout the world. Millions of people suffer from this disorder, which has major medical repercussions and a negative socioeconomic impact. However, in spite of its growing negative implications, until a few years ago there were no treatments available that were capable of providing a permanent solution for this disease.

Unsolved problem 

• In the USA: 34.9 cases of Acute Bacterial Rhinosunusitis peryear 

• Growingbacterial resistance in Europe because of wide and not always adequate use of antibiotics 

• Limited facilities of alternative to antibiotic therapies for mild and moderate forms of Acute Rhinosinusitis 

• No good evidence of efficacy in treatments

Normally, antibiotics are the drugs of choice in patients with signs of rhinosinusitis but, paradoxically, many cases are not caused by bacteria. Furthermore, a growing bac­terial resistance to antibiotics has been do­cumented in Europe (and in the rest of the world) due to the – and not always indica­ted – overuse of antibiotics. A paradigmatic example is the growing resistance by Strep­tococcus pneumoniae to the main drugs of choice, with resistance rates in Spain up to 26% against Penicillin, 37% against the Ma­crolides, and almost 40% against the early-generation Cephalosporins.