Piperacillin-tazobactam: a beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combination

• Published in: Expert review of anti-infective therapy Vol. 5; no. 3; p. 365
• Main Authors: Gin, Alfred, Dilay, Leanne, Karlowsky, James A, Walkty, Andrew, Rubinstein, Ethan, Zhanel, George G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01-06-2007
• Subjects: Anti-Bacterial Agents - adverse effects; Anti-Bacterial Agents - chemistry; Anti-Bacterial Agents - pharmacology; beta-Lactamase Inhibitors; Clinical Trials as Topic; Drug Resistance, Bacterial; Humans; Microbial Sensitivity Tests; Neutropenia - drug therapy; Penicillanic Acid - adverse effects; Penicillanic Acid - analogs & derivatives; Penicillanic Acid - chemistry; Penicillanic Acid - pharmacology; Piperacillin - adverse effects; Piperacillin - chemistry; Piperacillin - pharmacology; Pneumonia, Bacterial - drug therapy; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Soft Tissue Infections - drug therapy
• ISSN: 1744-8336
• DOI: 10.1586/14787210.5.3.365

Piperacillin-tazobactam is a beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combination with a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity that includes Gram-positive and -negative aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Piperacillin-tazobactam retains its in vitro activity against broad-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing and some extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, but not against isolates of Gram-negative bacilli harboring AmpC beta-lactamases. Piperacillin-tazobactam has recently been reformulated to include ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and sodium citrate; this new formulation has been shown to be compatible in vitro with the two aminoglycosides, gentamicin and amikacin, allowing for simultaneous Y-site infusion, but not with tobramycin. Multicenter, randomized, double-blinded clinical trials have demonstrated piperacillin-tazobactam to be as clinically effective as relevant comparator antibiotics. Clinical trials have demonstrated piperacillin-tazobactam to be effective for the treatment of patients with intra-abdominal infections, skin and soft tissue infections, lower respiratory tract infections, complicated urinary tract infections, gynecological infections and more recently, febrile neutropenia. Piperacillin-tazobactam has an excellent safety and tolerability profile and continues to be a reliable option for the empiric treatment of moderate-to-severe infections in hospitalized patients.