DrugLib.com — Drug Information Portal

Rx drug information, pharmaceutical research, clinical trials, news, and more

Cefuroxime Injection (Cefuroxime Sodium Injection) - Description and Clinical Pharmacology

 
 



Adults

To reduce the development of drug-resistant bacteria and maintain the effectiveness of Cefuroxime for Injection USP and Dextrose Injection USP and other antibacterial drugs, Cefuroxime for Injection USP and Dextrose Injection USP should be used only to treat or prevent infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by bacteria.

DESCRIPTION

Cefuroxime for Injection USP and Dextrose Injection USP is a sterile, nonpyrogenic, single use, packaged combination of Cefuroxime Sodium USP (crystalline) and Dextrose Injection USP (diluent) in the DUPLEX sterile container. The DUPLEX Container is a flexible dual chamber container.

The drug chamber is filled with sterile crystalline Cefuroxime for Injection USP, a semisynthetic, broad-spectrum, cephalosporin antibiotic for parenteral administration. It is the sodium salt of (6 R,7 R)-7-[2-(2-furyl)glyoxylamido]-3-(hydroxymethyl)-8-oxo-5-thia-1-azabicyclo[4.2.0]oct-2-ene-2-carboxylate, 72-(Z)-(O -methyloxime), carbamate (ester).

Cefuroxime Sodium USP has the following structural formula:

The empirical formula is C16H15N4NaO8S, representing a molecular weight of 446.4.

Cefuroxime contains approximately 54.2 mg (2.4 mEq) of sodium per gram of cefuroxime activity.

The diluent chamber contains Dextrose Injection USP. The concentration of Hydrous Dextrose USP has been adjusted to render the reconstituted drug product iso-osmotic. Dextrose Injection USP is sterile, nonpyrogenic, and contains no bacteriostatic or antimicrobial agents.

Hydrous Dextrose USP has the following structural (molecular) formula:

The molecular weight of Hydrous Dextrose USP is 198.17.

Dextrose hydrous USP has been added to the diluent to adjust osmolality (approximately 1.45 g and 2.05 g to 750 mg and 1.5 g dosages, respectively).

After removing the peelable foil strip, activating the seals, and thoroughly mixing, the reconstituted drug product is intended for single intravenous use. When reconstituted, the approximate osmolality of the reconstituted solution for Cefuroxime for Injection USP and Dextrose Injection USP is 290 mOsmol/kg.

The DUPLEX Container is Latex-free, PVC-free, and Di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)-free.

The DUPLEX dual chamber container is made from a specially formulated material. The product (diluent and drug) contact layer is a mixture of thermoplastic rubber and a polypropylene ethylene copolymer that contains no plasticizers. The safety of the container system is supported by USP biological evaluation procedures.

CLINICAL PHARMACOLOGY

Following IV doses of 750 mg and 1.5 g, serum concentrations were approximately 50 and 100 mcg/mL, respectively, at 15 minutes. Therapeutic serum concentrations of approximately 2 mcg/mL or more were maintained for 5.3 hours and 8 hours or more, respectively. There was no evidence of accumulation of cefuroxime in the serum following IV administration of 1.5 g doses every 8 hours to normal volunteers. The serum half-life after IV injection is approximately 80 minutes.

Approximately 89% of a dose of cefuroxime is excreted by the kidneys over an 8 hour period, resulting in high urinary concentrations.

Intravenous doses of 750 mg and 1.5 g produced urinary levels averaging 1,150 and 2,500 mcg/mL, respectively, during the first 8 hour period.

The concomitant oral administration of probenecid with cefuroxime slows tubular secretion, decreases renal clearance by approximately 40%, increases the peak serum level by approximately 30%, and increases the serum half-life by approximately 30%. Cefuroxime is detectable in therapeutic concentrations in pleural fluid, joint fluid, bile, sputum, bone, cerebrospinal fluid (in patients with meningitis), and aqueous humor.

Cefuroxime is detectable in therapeutic concentrations in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of adults and pediatric patients with meningitis. The following table shows the concentrations of cefuroxime achieved in cerebrospinal fluid during multiple dosing of patients with meningitis.

Table 1. Concentrations of Cefuroxime Achieved in Cerebrospinal Fluid During Multiple Dosing of Patients with Meningitis
PatientsDoseNumbe of PatientsMean (Range) CFS Cefuroxime Concentrations (mcg/mL) Achieved Within 8 Hours Post Dose
Pediatric patients
(4 weeks to 6.5 years)
200 mg/kg/day, divided
q 6 hours
56.6
(0.9–17.3)
Pediatric patients
(7 months to 9 years)
200 to 230 mg/kg/day,
divided q 8 hours
68.3
(<2–22.5)
Adults1.5 grams q 8 hours25.2
(2.7–8.9)
Adults1.5 grams q 6 hours106.0
(1.5–13.5)

Cefuroxime is approximately 50% bound to serum protein.

Microbiology

Cefuroxime has in vitro activity against a wide range of gram-positive and gram-negative organisms, and it is highly stable in the presence of beta-lactamases of certain gram-negative bacteria. The bactericidal action of cefuroxime results from inhibition of cell-wall synthesis.

Cefuroxime is usually active against the following organisms in vitro.

Aerobes, Gram-positive:
Staphylococcus aureus
Staphylococcus epidermidis
Streptococcus pneumoniae
, and
Streptococcus pyogenes (and other streptococci)

NOTE: Most strains of enterococci, e.g., Enterococcus faecalis (formerly Streptococcus faecalis), are resistant to cefuroxime. Methicillin-resistant staphylococci and Listeria monocytogenes are resistant to cefuroxime.

Aerobes, Gram-negative:
Citrobacter spp.
Enterobacter spp.
Escherichia coli
Haemophilus influenzae
(including ampicillin-resistant strains)
Haemophilus parainfluenzae
Klebsiella
spp. (including Klebsiella pneumoniae)
Moraxella (Branhamella) catarrhalis (including ampicillin- and cephalothin-resistant strains)
Morganella morganii (formerly Proteus morganii)
Neisseria gonorrhoeae (including penicillinase- and non-penicillinase-producing strains)
Neisseria meningitidis
Proteus mirabilis
Providencia rettgeri
(formerly Proteus rettgeri)
Salmonella spp., and Shigella spp.

NOTE: Some strains of Morganella morganii, Enterobacter cloacae, and Citrobacter spp. have been shown by in vitro tests to be resistant to cefuroxime and other cephalosporins. Pseudomonas and Campylobacter spp., Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, and most strains of Serratia spp. and Proteus vulgaris are resistant to most first- and second-generation cephalosporins.

Anaerobes: Gram-positive and gram-negative cocci (including Peptococcus and Peptostreptococcus spp.), gram-positive bacilli (including Clostridium spp.), and gram-negative bacilli (including Bacteroides and Fusobacterium spp.).

NOTE: Clostridium difficile and most strains of Bacteroides fragilis are resistant to cefuroxime.

Susceptibility Tests

Diffusion Techniques

Quantitative methods that require measurement of zone diameters give an estimate of antibiotic susceptibility. One such standard procedure1 that has been recommended for use with disks to test susceptibility of organisms to cefuroxime uses the 30 mcg cefuroxime disk. Interpretation involves the correlation of the diameters obtained in the disk test with the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) for cefuroxime.

A report of "Susceptible" indicates that the pathogen is likely to be inhibited by generally achievable blood levels. A report of "Moderately Susceptible" suggests that the organism would be susceptible if high dosage is used or if the infection is confined to tissues and fluids in which high antibiotic levels are attained. A report of "Intermediate" suggests an equivocable or indeterminate result. A report of "Resistant" indicates that achievable concentrations of the antibiotic are unlikely to be inhibitory and other therapy should be selected.

Reports from the laboratory giving results of the standard single-disk susceptibility test for organisms other than Haemophilus spp. and Neisseria gonorrhoeae with a 30 mcg cefuroxime disk should be interpreted according to the following criteria:

Zone Diameter (mm)Interpretation
≥18(S) Susceptible
15–17(MS) Moderately Susceptible
≤14(R) Resistant

Results for Haemophilus spp. should be interpreted according to the following criteria:

Zone Diameter (mm)Interpretation
≥ 24(S) Susceptible
21–23(I) Intermediate
≤ 20(R) Resistant

Results for Neisseria gonorrhoeae should be interpreted according to the following criteria:

Zone Diameter (mm)Interpretation
≥ 31(S) Susceptible
26–30(MS) Moderately Susceptible
≤25(R) Resistant

Organisms should be tested with the cefuroxime disk since cefuroxime has been shown by in vitro tests to be active against certain strains found resistant when other beta-lactam disks are used. The cefuroxime disk should not be used for testing susceptibility to other cephalosporins.

Standardized procedures require the use of laboratory control organisms. The 30 mcg cefuroxime disk should give the following zone diameters.

  1. Testing for organisms other than Haemophilus spp. and Neisseria gonorrhoeae:
    OrganismZone Diameter (mm)
    Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 2592327–35
    Escherichia coli ATCC 2592220–26
  2. Testing for Haemophilus spp.:
    OrganismZone Diameter (mm)
    Haemophilus influenzae ATCC 4976628–36
  3. Testing for Neisseria gonorrhoeae:
    OrganismZone Diameter (mm)
    Neisseria gonorrhoeae ATCC 4922633–41
    Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 2592329–33

Dilution Techniques

Use a standardized dilution method1 (broth, agar, microdilution) or equivalent with cefuroxime powder. The MIC values obtained for bacterial isolates other than Haemophilus spp. and Neisseria gonorrhoeae should be interpreted according to the following criteria:

MIC (mcg/mL)Interpretation
≤8(S) Susceptible
16(MS) Moderately Susceptible
≥32(R) Resistant

MIC values obtained for Haemophilus spp. should be interpreted according to the following criteria:

MIC (mcg/mL)Interpretation
≤4(S) Susceptible
8(I) Intermediate
≥16(R) Resistant

MIC values obtained for Neisseria gonorrhoeae should be interpreted according to the following criteria:

MIC (mcg/mL)Interpretation
≤1(S) Susceptible
2(MS) Moderately Susceptible
≥4(R) Resistant

As with standard diffusion techniques, dilution methods require the use of laboratory control organisms. Standard cefuroxime powder should provide the following MIC values.

  1. For organisms other than Haemophilus spp. and Neisseria gonorrhoeae:
    OrganismMIC (mcg/mL)
    Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 292130.5–2.0
    Escherichia coli ATCC 259222.0–8.0
  2. For Haemophilus spp.:
    OrganismMIC (mcg/mL)
    Haemophilus influenzae ATCC 497660.25–1.0
  3. For Neisseria gonorrhoeae:
    OrganismMIC (mcg/mL)
    Neisseria gonorrhoeae ATCC 492260.25–1.0
    Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 292130.25–1.0

-- advertisement -- The American Red Cross
 
Home | About Us | Contact Us | Site usage policy | Privacy policy

All Rights reserved - Copyright DrugLib.com, 2006-2017