Ceftolozane/tazobactam

Ceftolozane/tazobactam, sold under the brand name Zerbaxa, (Merck) is a fixed-dose combination antibiotic medication used for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections and complicated intra-abdominal infections in adults.^[6][5][7] Ceftolozane is a cephalosporin antibiotic, developed for the treatment of infections with gram-negative bacteria that are resistant to conventional antibiotics.^[8] It was studied for urinary tract infections, intra-abdominal infections and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia.

The most common side effects include nausea (feeling sick), headache, constipation, diarrhea and fever.^[5][7]

Ceftolozane is a type of antibiotic called a cephalosporin, which belongs to the wider group of antibiotics called beta-lactams.^[5] It works by interfering with the production of molecules that bacteria need to build their protective cell walls.^[5] This causes weakness in the bacterial cell walls which then become prone to collapse, ultimately leading to the death of the bacteria.^[5]

Tazobactam blocks the action of bacterial enzymes called beta-lactamases.^[5] These enzymes enable bacteria to break down beta-lactam antibiotics like ceftolozane, making the bacteria resistant to the antibiotic's action.^[5] By blocking the action of these enzymes, tazobactam allows ceftolozane to act against bacteria that would otherwise be resistant to ceftolozane.^[5]

Ceftolozane is combined with the β-lactamase inhibitor tazobactam, which protects ceftolozane from degradation.^[9] It was approved for medical use in the United States in December 2014,^[7][10] and in the European Union in September 2015.^[5] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.^[11]