Ertapenem: review of a new carbapenem.

Abstract

The carbapenems are beta-lactam-type antibiotics with an exceptionally broad spectrum of activity. Ertapenem is a new carbapenem developed to address the pharmacokinetic shortcomings (short half-life) of imipenem and meropenem. Ertapenem shares similar structural features with meropenem, including its stability to dehydropeptidase-1, allowing it to be administered without a dehydropeptidase-1 inhibitor. Ertapenem, like imipenem and meropenem, demonstrates broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity against many Gram-positive and -negative aerobes and anaerobes and is resistant to nearly all beta-lactamases, including extended-spectrum beta-lactamases and AmpCs. However, it differs from both imipenem and meropenem in demonstrating limited activity against Enterococcusspp., Pseudomonasaeruginosa and other nonfermentative Gram-negative bacteria commonly associated with nosocomial infections. The extensive protein binding of ertapenem extends the half-life and allows for once-daily dosing. Prospective, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, comparative clinical studies demonstrate similar clinical efficacy of ertapenem compared with other agents. Clinical trials of complicated intra-abdominal infection, acute pelvic infection, complicated skin and soft-structure infection, community-acquired pneumonia and complicated urinary tract infections demonstrated that ertapenem has equivalent efficacy and safety compared with ceftriaxone and piperacillin/tazobactam. Ertapenem is a promising new carbapenem with excellent efficacy and safety for the treatment of a variety of community-acquired infections. It also appears to be of great value as an outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy.

• Authors: George G Zhanel, Christel Johanson, John M Embil, Ayman Noreddin, Alfred Gin, Lavern Vercaigne, Daryl J Hoban
• Journal: Expert review of anti-infective therapy (Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther) Vol. 3 Issue 1 Pg. 23-39 (Feb 2005) ISSN: 1478-7210 [Print] England
• PMID: 15757455 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Review)

Chemical References

• Carbapenems
• Drugs, Investigational
• Lactams
• beta-Lactams
• Ertapenem

Topics

• Animals
• Carbapenems (chemistry, metabolism, therapeutic use)
• Drugs, Investigational (adverse effects, chemistry, metabolism, therapeutic use)
• Ertapenem
• Humans
• Lactams (chemistry, metabolism, therapeutic use)
• beta-Lactams