A combination of a cephalosporin and a beta-lactamase inhibitor in an intravenous formulation has been approved for treating complicated intra-abdominal infections and complicated urinary tract infections in adults, the Food and Drug Administration announced on Dec. 19.
The cephalosporin is ceftolozane and the beta-lactamase inhibitor is tazobactam; it will be marketed as Zerbaxa by Cubist Pharmaceuticals.
This is the fourth antibacterial drug product approved by the FDA in 2014 and, like the other three, it was designated as a Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) and was given priority review, according to the FDA statement. Zerbaxa was granted a QIDP designation under the Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now (GAIN) Act of the FDA Safety and Innovation Act, “because it is an antibacterial or antifungal human drug intended to treat a serious or life-threatening infection,” the statement said.
As part of the QIDP program, the manufacturer has also been granted an extra 5 years of “exclusivity” – exclusive marketing rights – by the FDA.
Ceftolozane-tazobactam was approved for treating complicated intra-abdominal infections in combination with metronidazole; approval for this indication was based on a study of 979 adults, randomized to the combination or to meropenem.
Approval for complicated urinary tract infections, including pyelonephritis, was based on a study of 1,068 adults, randomized to treatment with ceftolozane-tazobactam or levofloxacin.
The prescribing information includes a warning about decreased efficacy in patients with renal impairment (a baseline creatinine clearance of 30-50 mL/min or less, and the recommendation to monitor creatinine clearance “at least daily in patients with changing renal function,” and to adjust dose accordingly. Nausea, diarrhea, headache, and fever were the most common adverse events in studies, according to the FDA statement.
The other antibacterials approved by the FDA in 2014 were approved for treating acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections caused by certain susceptible bacteria. They were dalbavancin (Dalvance), approved in May; tedizolid (Sivextro), approved in June; and oritavancin (Orbactiv), approved in August.
Serious adverse events associated with Zerbaxa should be reported to the FDA’s MedWatch program at 800-332-1088 or http://www.fda.gov/Safety/MedWatch/HowToReport/default.htm.