Ex vivo pharmacodynamic study of piperacillin alone and in combination with tazobactam, compared with ticarcillin plus clavulanic acid

The role of piperacillin/tazobactam in the treatment of Hidradenitis suppurativa

Background: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease. Most patients with moderate-to-severe disease require long-term antibiotic treatment, or biologic treatments to control their disease. Despite these interventions, relapses are common. This study evaluated the effectiveness of piperacillin/tazobactam treatment in patients with Hurley stage II and III HS who experienced disease flares and did not respond to conventional antibiotic and biologic treatment. Methods: Patients with HS hospitalized at the Department of Dermatology, Sheba Medical Center between August 2021 and January 2023 were retrospectively analyzed. Results: A cohort of ten such patients were treated with piperacillin/tazobactam for 6-21 days. Eight (80%) and two (20%) patients respectively demonstrated 2- and 1-grade improvements, from their baseline HS-Physician Global Assessment score. During the follow-up period, nine patients were monitored. HS Clinical Response (HiSCR) was achieved in six (66.7%) and five (55.6%) patients at the 3- and 6-month follow-up visits, respectively. Conclusions: In conclusion, Piperacillin/tazobactam emerges as a promising therapeutic option for disease flare-up in patients with Hurley stage II and III HS who do not respond to conventional treatment. Thus, piperacillin/tazobactam should be considered as crisis therapy for this patient subset.

A new HPLC-MS/MS analytical method for quantification of tazobactam, piperacillin, and meropenem in human plasma

A simple and fast high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry method for quantification of tazobactam, piperacillin, and meropenem in human plasma has been developed and validated. Simple sample preparation with a volume of 10 μL was done by protein precipitation with a mixture of methanol-acetonitrile-water (6:2:2, v/v/v). Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Luna column with a precolumn security guard by gradient elution using a mobile phase consisting of water with the addition of 0.1% formic acid (component A) and mixture methanol-acetonitrile (8:2, v/v) with the addition of 0.1% formic acid (component B). The run time was 2.7 min. The lower limits of detection and lower limits of quantification were for piperacillin 0.03 and 0.1 mg/L, for meropenem 0.04 and 0.2 mg/L and for tazobactam 0.16 and 0.5 mg/L. The validated method was used for therapeutic monitoring of tazobactam, piperacillin, and meropenem in samples of patients treated in the intensive care unit.

Identification of optimal renal dosage adjustments for traditional and extended-infusion piperacillin-tazobactam dosing regimens in hospitalized patients

This study examined the effect of various levels of renal impairment on the probability of achieving free drug concentrations that exceed the MIC for 50% of the dosing interval (50% fT > MIC) for traditional and extended-infusion piperacillin-tazobactam (TZP) dosing strategies. It also identified optimal renal dosage adjustments for traditional and extended-infusion dosing schemes that yielded probability of target attainment (PTA) and exposure profiles that were isometric to those of the parent regimens. Data from 105 patients were analyzed using the population pharmacokinetic modeling program BigNPAG. To assess the effect of creatinine clearance (CL(CR)) on overall clearance, TZP clearance was made proportional to the estimated CL(CR). A Monte Carlo simulation (9,999 subjects) was performed for the traditional dosing scheme (4.5 g infused during 30 min every 6 h) and the extended-infusion TZP dosing scheme (3.375 g infused during 4 h every 8 h). The fraction of simulated subjects who achieved 50% fT > MIC was calculated for the range of piperacillin MICs from 0.25 to 32 mg/liter and stratified by CL(CR). The traditional TZP regimen displayed the greatest variability in PTA across MIC values, especially for MIC values exceeding 4 mg/liter, when stratified by CL(CR). In contrast, the PTA for the extended-infusion TZP regimen exceeded >or=80% for MIC values of or=32 mg/liter irrespective of the CL(CR). The CL(CR) adjustments for traditional and extended-infusion TZP dosing regimens should be considered at a CL(CR) of Collapse

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MESH Headings

• Area Under Curve
• Bayes Theorem
• Cross Infection/drug therapy
• Cross Infection/microbiology
• Drug Combinations
• Female
• Hospitalization
• Humans
• Infusions, Intravenous
• Kidney/metabolism
• Kidney Function Tests
• Male
• Microbial Sensitivity Tests
• Middle Aged
• Models, Statistical
• Monte Carlo Method
• Penicillanic Acid/administration & dosage
• Penicillanic Acid/analogs & derivatives
• Penicillanic Acid/pharmacokinetics
• Piperacillin/administration & dosage
• Piperacillin/pharmacokinetics
• Piperacillin, Tazobactam Drug Combination
• Pneumonia, Pneumococcal/drug therapy
• Pneumonia, Pneumococcal/microbiology
• Reproducibility of Results
• Tazobactam
• United States
• United States Food and Drug Administration

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Affiliation(s)

N. Patel Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Albany, New York, Midwestern College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Downers Grove, Illinois, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Department of Pharmacy, Chicago, Illinois, Ordway Research Institute, Albany, New York
M. H. Scheetz Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Albany, New York, Midwestern College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Downers Grove, Illinois, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Department of Pharmacy, Chicago, Illinois, Ordway Research Institute, Albany, New York
G. L. Drusano Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Albany, New York, Midwestern College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Downers Grove, Illinois, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Department of Pharmacy, Chicago, Illinois, Ordway Research Institute, Albany, New York
T. P. Lodise Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Albany, New York, Midwestern College of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Downers Grove, Illinois, Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Department of Pharmacy, Chicago, Illinois, Ordway Research Institute, Albany, New York

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Piperacillin-tazobactam: a beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combination

Piperacillin-tazobactam is a beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combination with a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity that includes Gram-positive and -negative aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Piperacillin-tazobactam retains its in vitro activity against broad-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing and some extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae, but not against isolates of Gram-negative bacilli harboring AmpC beta-lactamases. Piperacillin-tazobactam has recently been reformulated to include ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and sodium citrate; this new formulation has been shown to be compatible in vitro with the two aminoglycosides, gentamicin and amikacin, allowing for simultaneous Y-site infusion, but not with tobramycin. Multicenter, randomized, double-blinded clinical trials have demonstrated piperacillin-tazobactam to be as clinically effective as relevant comparator antibiotics. Clinical trials have demonstrated piperacillin-tazobactam to be effective for the treatment of patients with intra-abdominal infections, skin and soft tissue infections, lower respiratory tract infections, complicated urinary tract infections, gynecological infections and more recently, febrile neutropenia. Piperacillin-tazobactam has an excellent safety and tolerability profile and continues to be a reliable option for the empiric treatment of moderate-to-severe infections in hospitalized patients.

Rational prescribing of extended-spectrum penicillin beta-lactamase inhibitor combinations: focus on ticarcillin/clavulanic acid

OBJECTIVE

To provide an overview of the clinical pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of ticarcillin/clavulanic acid and to reassess traditional dosage recommendations based on contemporary pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic principles.

DATA SOURCES

Published ticarcillin and clavulanic acid pharmacokinetic data derived from infants and children combined with data obtained from a rigorous, dose-escalation study performed in 12 healthy adults. Pharmacodynamic correlates were derived from published in vitro susceptibility data for the combination drug ticarcillin/clavulanic acid.

DATA SYNTHESIS

Limited differences were observed in the pharmacokinetic disposition profiles between ticarcillin and clavulanic acid and relative to subject age. Integration of these data with defined pathogen minimum inhibitory concentrations underscores the appropriateness of an extended dosing interval (e.g., q8h to q12h) for many infections and demonstrates the probable therapeutic interchangeability of the following three intravenous dosing regimens: 3.1 g every 6 hours, 75 mg/kg every 8 hours, and 100 mg/kg every 12 hours of a 30:1 ticarcillin/clavulanic acid combination.

CONCLUSIONS

Integration of pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic data is an appropriate means to assess/reassess dosing recommendations for antimicrobial agents. Initial ticarcillin/clavulanic acid dose recommendations did not account for known dynamic interactions for this combination antibiotic. Pharmacokinetic data in infants, children, and adults support a less frequent dosing interval (q8h to q12h) for the treatment of infections arising outside the central nervous system.

Pharmacokinetic-based ticarcillin/clavulanic acid dose recommendations for infants and children

The pharmacokinetic characteristics of ticarcillin and clavulanic acid were determined after the first dose (n = 22) and again under steady-state conditions (n = 16) in a group of infants and children. Study subjects ranged in age from 1 month to 9.3 years; all but 3 study patients were 6 months of age or older. Each patient received 50 mg of ticarcillin and 1.7 mg of clavulanic acid (30:1 ratio) per kg of body weight given intravenously every 4 hours. Elimination half-life, steady-state volume of distribution, and body clearance averaged 1.1 hours, 0.22 L/kg, and 2.7 mL/min/kg, respectively, for ticarcillin, and 0.9 hours, 0.4 L/kg, and 6.2 mL/min/kg, respectively, for clavulanic acid. A total of 71% of the ticarcillin and 50% of the clavulanic acid dose were excreted unchanged in the urine over the 4-hour sampling period. Corresponding renal clearances averaged 2.1 and 3.2 mL/min/kg for ticarcillin and clavulanic acid, respectively. No differences were observed between first dose and steady-state evaluations in the pharmacokinetic behavior of either agent. In contrast, the pharmacokinetic behavior of clavulanic acid was significantly different from that observed for ticarcillin. These pharmacokinetic data combined with known in vitro susceptibilities of important clinical pathogens support a dose of 80 mg of ticarcillin and 2.7 mg/kg clavulanic acid per kg body weight given as a fixed dose combination every 8 hours for the treatment of most systemic infections that occur outside the central nervous system.

Comparative antimicrobial activity of piperacillin-tazobactam tested against more than 5000 recent clinical isolates from five medical centers. A reevaluation after five years

Piperacillin combined with tazobactam at a fixed concentration (4 micrograms/ml) and a ratio (8:1) was tested against 5,029 aerobic isolates and 447 fastidious organisms, including anaerobes. Among the Enterobacteriaceae, > 95% inhibition was shared only by imipenem (99.1% at < or = 4 micrograms/ml), and some newer cephalosporins (95.1% - 99.8% at < or = 8 micrograms/ml), and piperacillin-tazobactam (95.8% at < or = 16/4 micrograms/ml). Piperacillin-tazobactam was the most active agent tested against nonenteric Gram-negative bacilli (93.5% at < or = 8 micrograms/ml). Ampicillin-sulbactam was the most active agent against staphylococci (95.0% at < or = 8 micrograms/ml), followed by imipenem (91.8%), piperacillin-tazobactam (89.3% at < or = 8/4 micrograms/ml), and cefepime (86.2% at < or = 8 micrograms/ml). Against the enterococci, only ampicillin (93.0% at < or = 8 micrograms/ml) with or without sulbactam, piperacillin (91.0% at < or = 16 micrograms/ml) with or without tazobactam, and imipenem (91.0%) had acceptable activity. Piperacillin-tazobactam and imipenem were the most active drugs tested against all aerobic isolates, inhibiting 93.5% of isolates each. Piperacillin-tazobactam inhibited all fastidious isolates tested, including Haemophilus influenzae (MIC90, 0.094/4 micrograms/ml), Moraxella catarrhalis (MIC90, 0.064/4 micrograms/ml), Neisseira gonorrhoeae (MIC90, < or = 0.016/4 micrograms/ml), and Streptococcus pneumoniae (all MICs, < or = 4/4 micrograms/ml). Against the anaerobic isolates, the most broad-spectrum antimicrobial agents tested were imipenem (100.0%), piperacillin-tazobactam (99.5% at < or = 32/4 micrograms/ml), metronidazole (98.4% at < or = 8 micrograms/ml), and ticarcillin-clavulanic acid (95.1% at < or = 32/2 micrograms/ml). These results are nearly identical to a previous study involving the same five medical centers in 1989. Piperacillin-tazobactam appears to remain a highly effective beta-lactamase inhibitor combination with a wide empiric spectrum and potency in teaching hospitals.

Single-dose pharmacokinetics of piperacillin and tazobactam in infants and children

The pharmacokinetics of piperacillin and tazobactam were assessed after single-dose administration to 47 infants and children. Study subjects ranging in age from 2 months to 12 years were randomized to receive one of two different doses of a piperacillin-tazobactam combination (8:1): a low dose (n = 23) of 50 and 6.25 mg of piperacillin and tazobactam per kg of body weight, respectively, or a high dose (n = 24) of 100 and 12.5 mg, respectively. The pharmacokinetic behavior of tazobactam was very similar to that observed for piperacillin, supporting the use of these two agents in a fixed-dose combination. No differences in the pharmacokinetics of piperacillin or tazobactam were observed between the two doses administered. The elimination parameters half-life and total body clearance decreased and increased, respectively, with increasing age, whereas volume parameters (volume of distribution and steady-state volume of distribution) remained relatively constant for both compounds. The primary metabolite of tazobactam, metabolite M1, was measurable in the plasma of 18 of the 47 study subjects; 17 of these 18 subjects received the high doses. More than 70% of the administered piperacillin and tazobactam doses were excreted unchanged in the urine over a 6-h collection period. These data combined with the known in vitro susceptibilities of a broad range of pediatric bacterial pathogens indicate that a dose of 100 mg of piperacillin and 12.5 of mg tazobactam per kg of body weight administered as a fixed-dose combination every 6 to 8 h would be appropriate to initiate clinical efficacy studies in infants and children for the treatment of systemic infections arising outside of the central nervous system.

Piperacillin/tazobactam. A review of its antibacterial activity, pharmacokinetic properties and therapeutic potential

Combining tazobactam, a beta-lactamase inhibitor, with the ureidopenicillin, piperacillin, successfully restores the activity of piperacillin against beta-lactamase-producing bacteria. Tazobactam has inhibitory activity, and therefore protects piperacillin against Richmond and Sykes types II, III, IV and V beta-lactamases, staphylococcal penicillinase and extended-spectrum beta-lactamases. However, tazobactam has only species-specific activity against class I chromosomally-mediated enzymes. Resistant organisms include some Citrobacter spp., Enterobacter spp., Serratia spp., Xanthomonas maltophilia and Enterococcus faecium. Consistent with its in vitro activity, preliminary clinical data indicate that the fixed combination of piperacillin/tazobactam (dose ratio 8:1) is effective in the treatment of moderate to severe polymicrobial infections, including intra-abdominal, skin and soft-tissue and lower respiratory tract infections. In limited comparative trials, piperacillin/tazobactam demonstrated equivalent or better efficacy than standard comparator regimens in these infections. Piperacillin/tazobactam in combination with an aminoglycoside was effective in the empirical treatment of fever in patients with neutropenia and compared favourably with ceftazidime in combination with an aminoglycoside, although second-line therapy with a glycopeptide antibiotic may be indicated in unresponsive episodes. Data from phase III trials indicate that piperacillin/tazobactam has a tolerability profile typical of a penicillin agent. Piperacillin/tazobactam provides a broad spectrum of antibacterial activity in a convenient single formulation suitable for use in the treatment of polymicrobial infections. Possible limitations concern its restricted activity against class I beta-lactamases, enzymes that are becoming increasingly important in the nosocomial environment. Combined therapy with an aminoglycoside may be necessary in more serious infections.