MONOBACTMS
AND
CARBAPENEMS
MONOBACTAMS
Aztreonam
Aztreonam
Parenteral b-lactam
drugs, with monocyclic
b-lactam ring
Similar to ceftazidime
(3ed gen. cephalosporin):
Structurally,
Its anti-gram negative
spectrum activity
Spectrum of activity
Aztreonam - "the magic bullet for aerobic
gram-negative bacteria"
It is effective against GNB: H. influenzae,
Neisseria, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Serratia
Not active against GPB or anaerobes
Resistant to β lactamases, Ambler class B
metallo-β-lactamases - useful for some infections
resistant to other beta-lactam antibiotics
Active against many strains that are
multiply-resistant to other antibiotics (pen,
ceph, aminoglycosides)
Synergistic with aminoglycosides - P.
aeruginosa, many strains of
Enterobacteriaceae, and other Gram-
negative aerobic bacilli
It has no cross allergic reactions with
penicillins, i.e. can be given to patients
hypersensitive to penicillins or
cephalosporins
Because of its structural similarity with
ceftazidime, there is potential for cross-
reactivity.
Mechanism of action
Pharmacokinetics
Route of administration - IM, IV or as a
nebulizer
Peak plasma concentrations is about 1-1.5 hrs
Penetrate well into CSF
Excreted unchanged in urine, by active tubular
secretion and glomerular filtration, with a half-
life = 1-2 hrs, increased to 4-7 hrs in impaired
renal function
Clinical uses
Urinary Tract Infections (uUTIs, cUTIs)
Pyelonephritis, Uncomplicated cystitis
Intra-abdominal infections that extend into the
urological tract
Lower Respiratory Tract Infections
Septicemia
Skin infections
Gynecologic Infections
Cystic fibrosis: in children - inhalational
Adjunctive therapy to surgery
Dosage
UTIs
500 mg to 1 g, every 8 or 12 hrs
Sever infections: 1-2 g every 8 or 12 hrs
Pediatric dosage: 30 - 120 mg/kg/6 or 8 hrs.
Dosage adjustments - in patients with impaired
renal function.
Generally, aztreonam should be continued for at
least 48 hours after patient becomes asymptomatic
or evidence of bacterial eradication has been
obtained
Persistent infections may require treatment for
several weeks.
Adverse effects
Relatively nontoxic
Local reactions – phlebitis/thrombophlebitis, IM-
discomfort/swelling
Skin rash and occasionally abnormal liver function test
Allergic reactions
Blood disorders: neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, anemia
Neurotoxicity: administration into ventricles → seizure,
confusion, encephalopathy, vertigo, paresthesia, insomnia
Superinfcetions: overgrowth of nonsusceptible GPB
(Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus faecalis) and fungi
→ vaginal candidiasis, viginitis
Contraindications and
precautions
Hypersensitivity to aztreonam or any other
component in the formulation
In patients with impaired renal function
With aminoglycosides - because of the
potential nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity of
aminoglycoside antibiotics – prolonged use of
high doses
CARBAPENEMS
Introduction
Imipenem
Imipenem/cilastatin (IMIP/CS) - Tienam
Imipenem/cilastatin/relebactam
Meropenem/vabrobactam
Doripenem
Tebipenem pivoxil
Ertapenem
Faropenem medoxomil (Orapem)
Binapem/betamipron (BIAP/BP)– newer
carbapenem with higher antimicrobial
activities
introduction
Similar structure to penicillins, cephalosporins
Beta lactam + penem ring
IV bactericidal b-lactam antibiotics with an
extremely broad spectrum against:
gram-negative rods (P. aeruginosa), many
GPB, and anaerobics organisms
Resistant to most β-lactamases but not to
carbapenemases or metallo-β-lactamases
Active against many penicillin-non-
susceptible pneumococci
Beta lactams
They are very active against Enterobacter,
because they are not destroyed by AmpC ẞ-
lactamases produced by this bacteria
Carbapenems are DOC for serious infections
caused by ESBLs producing-GNB
- Resistant organisms include:
MRSA.
Enterococcus faecalis (gram + ve cocci).
Clostridium difficile (anaerobic bacterium)
Mechanism of action
Bactericidal - like other beta lactam
antibiotics, bind to critical PBPs,
inhibits the synthesis of
peptidoglycan and disrupting the
growth and structural integrity of
bacterial cell walls
Pharmacokinetics
Orally, poorly absorbed and require
parenteral administration
Imipenem - rapidly hydrolyzed in renal
tubules by dehydropeptidase I → low urinary
concentrations, so it is given with cilastatin, an
inhibitor of renal dehydropeptidase, for clinical
use to inhibit renal metabolism of imipenem
and prolongs its half-life.
Carbapenems generally have good tissue
penetration - CSF
Excreted largely unchanged in the urine with
Clinical uses
Indicated for infections caused by susceptible
organisms, e.g. P. aeruginosa, which are resistant to
other available drugs
Treatment of mixed aerobic and anaerobic infections
Active against many highly penicillin-resistant strains
of pneumococci
beta-lactam of choice for the treatment of
Enterobacter infections - resistant to destruction by
b-lactamase produced by these organisms
Imipenem or meropenem with or without an
aminoglycoside may be an effective treatment for
febrile neutropenic patients
Clinical uses
Generally, when treatment with other
antibiotics fails, carbapenems are used as
the last-line antibiotics for treating severe
and/or resistant bacterial infections that are
associated with high morbidity and mortality
1. Complicated cUTIs – causative bacteria
are known or suspected to be multidrug-
resistant
2. Pyelonephritis: severe cases when
bacteria are resistant to other commonly used
antibiotics
3. Septicemia or bacteremia with
urological source: to treat the systemic
infection
4. Intra-abdominal infections involving
the urological tract, peritonitis, abdominal
abscesses
5. Prophylaxis in urological procedures:
high risk of postoperative infection
6. Respiratory tract infection
7. Skin and soft tissue infections.
8. Bone infections and arthritis.
9. Nosocomial infections
10. DOC for serious infections caused by
extended-spectrum Beta-lactamases
(ESBLs) producing GNB
11. Treatment of mixed aerobic/
anaerobic infections
12. Used (with or without aminoglycosides)
for treatment of febrile neutropenic patients
Compared with other β-lactams, carbapenems:
Potent, broad-spectrum antibacterial
activity - against GPB and GNB species
have the most extensive activity, particularly
against MDR Gram-negative pathogens
stability - highly resistant to beta-lactamases
low toxicity
For this reason, they are used for:
complicated cases where exact pathogen is
not immediately identified, and a broad-
spectrum antibiotic is needed to cover a wide
range of potential causative organisms
Adverse effects
Common - infusion site pain a phlebitis, diarrhea,
nausea, rash, pruritus, headache
Convulsions - high doses of imipenem
Reversible transient, mild increase in serum
aminotransferase – usually self-limited and
asymptomatic
Cholestatic liver injury/hepatotoxicity - rare
In patients with multiple medical problems and
other causes for liver disease (parenteral
nutrition, sepsis)
May be due to immunoallergic reactions -
excreted largely unchanged in urine
Imepenem/Cilastatin
Because imipenem is rapidly inactivated in
renal tubules by dehydropeptidase I (DHP-1)
inactive metabolite (can be nephrotoxic)
Cilastatin, a DHP-I inhibitor, increases
spectrum of activity, half-life, concentrations in
urinary tract and tissue penetration of
imipenem
The combination is given IV
It may cause seizures at high doses
Dosage
Adult:
IV; 500 mg to 1 gram, IV every 6 to 8 hrs
IM: no more than 1.5 g daily
Usually for 5 - 14 days
Children:
15 - 25 mg/kg every 6 hrs
Dosage adjustments are necessary in
patients with renal impairment
Imipenem/cilastatin/relebactam
(2019)
Newly approved anti-infective combination of
imipenem and a new β-lactamase inhibitor
Impenem: interferes with cell wall synthesis
Cilastatin - inhibit renal metabolism of imipenem
Relebactam: new β-lactamase inhibitor to
protect imipenem degradation by some types of
serine β-lactamases
Active against multidrug-resistant (MDR) -
Pseudomonas aeruginosa and carbapenem-resistant
Enterobacterales (CRE) such as Klebsiella
pneumoniae
Clinical uses
Treatment of cUTIs caused by susceptible GNB
with limited or no alternative treatment
options: pyelonephritis, and complicated
intra-abdominal infections (cIAIs)
Treatment of hospital-acquired bacterial
pneumonia (HABP) and ventilator-associated
bacterial pneumonia (VABP)
Reversed for hospital acquired infection in
AIDS, cancer patients
Dosage: cUTIs, Pyelonephritis: 1.25 g IV/6
hrs for 4 - 14 days
Meropenem/vaborbactam
Meropenem:
IV, Ultra broad spectrum
Active against aerobic and anaerobic,
GPB and GNB bacteria
Resistant to beta-lactamase enzymes
Do not need addition of cilastatin and has
greater activity against gram negative
aerobes and less activity against gram
positive aerobes than imipenem
Meropenem/vaborbactam
Vaborbactam - β-lactamase inhibitor that
protect meropenem from degradation by
some serine-lactamases, such as Klebsiella
pneumoniae carbapenemase
Meropenem/Vaborbactam combination is
mainly used in treatment of cUTIs
Dose:
The recommended dosage is 0.5 - 1 g IV/8
hours, with dose adjustment for renal
impairment
Doripenem
has high chemical stability, and is resistant
to hydrolysis by dehydropeptidase
have more potent activity against
Pseudomonas species than the other
carbapenems
has a good safety profile despite a certain
degree of GI discomfort and allergic
reactions.
Dosage: 500 mg IV every 8 hrs for 5 - 14
days
Tebipenem pivoxil (TBPM-Pl)
Orally active, with broad-spectrum activity
against uropathogenic multidrug-resistant
gram-negative pathogens, including:
Fluoroquinolone-resistant strains
ESBL-producing Enterobacterales,
primarily E. coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae,
Enterobacter cloacae, and Proteus mirabilis
Clinically, shows stronger antibacterial
activity than penicillins and cephalosporins,
and exerts the same or better antibacterial
effect in comparison to the other carbapenem
antibiotics
Pharmacokinetics
Prodrug, rapidly metabolized to the active
moiety, tebipenem, by enterocytes
Orally, absorbed by multiple intestinal
transport routes and then metabolized to
TBPM or its metabolites by drug-
metabolizing enzymes - epoxide hydrolase
and renal dehydropeptidase-I
TBPM was mainly excreted in urine, with
cumulative urinary excretion of 60–70% by
24 h
Comparision to other carbapenems
Non-inferior to IV ertapenem for treatment of
cUTIs or acute pyelonephritis → 90% clinical cure
Oral tebipenem was as effective as IV ertapenem
Compared to ertapenem, it did not lead to a
greater risk of post-treatment enteric
colonization with carbapenem-resistant
Enterobacterales pathogens
No increased risk of C. difficile infection
associated with treatment with oral carbapenem
Diarrhea, headache, and nausea – 1% of patients
Banipenem/betamiron
antibacterial activity is similar to that of other
carbapenems, but it has:
stability against renal dehydropeptidase-1
Betamipron is often added to panipenem to
form a stable and injectable formulation
for IV administration. It enhances shelf life
and solubility of panipenem. It does not
have antibiotic activity but serves a stabilizing
function
Has high activities against urinary isolates
Enterobacteriacae - Serratia
marcescens, Enterobacter cloacae,
Citrobacter freundii and E. coli containing
class C-beta-lactamase- and ESBL-
producing strains when compared to
piperacillin and ceftazidime
Pseudomonas aeruginosa,
Enterococcus faecalis, Staphylococcus
aureus and Staphylococcus
epidermidis
Showed clinical effectiveness for:
cUTIs,
complicated intra-abdominal infections
showed a rapid effectiveness in the
treatment of febrile complicated UTIs -
mainly caused by mixed infection of GNB
and GPB, especially those involving P.
aeruginosa and E. faecalis
Banipenem has almost no nephrotoxicity
or nervous system toxicity
Faropenem medoxomil (Orapem)
Orally active, an ester prodrug characterized by:
Improved oral bioavailability (70-80%)
higher systemic concentrations
Improved chemical stability and reduced CNS
effects, compared with imipenem
Resistant to hydrolysis by nearly all β-
lactamases, including ESBLs and AmpC β-
lactamases
Faropenem is not active against MRSA,
vancomycin -resistant Enterococcus
faecium, or Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Clinical uses
Urinary tract infections –
uncomplicated UTIs (uUTIs) - 300 mg twice
daily for 7 days. Its use is restricted to treatment
of infections with ESBL-producing bacteria
cUTIs - as a part of treatment regimen
Prostatitis
Post-operative infections
Upper and lower Respiratory tract infection
Skin infection
Gynaecological infections
Bacterial infections
Beta lactamases
Serine based
Metallo beta lactamases – have ability to
hydrolyze carbapenems, and to its resistance
to commerecially available beta lactamase
inhibitors but susceptibility to inhibition by
metal ion chelators.
The most common bacteria that make
this enzyme are GN such as E. coli and
Klebsiella pneumonia, Pseudomonas
aeroginosa
Extended spectra beta lactamase (ESBL):
enzymes that mediate resistance to extended
spectrum third generation cephalosporins
(cefazidime, cefotaxime, ceftriaxone) and
monobactams (aztreonam)
do not affect cephmycins (cefoxitin,
cefotetan) or carbenams (imipernem,
meropenem)
They are commonly found in Gram-negative
bacteria, particularly in Enterobacteriaceae such
as Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae
(NF)