title: Prescribing Ceftolozane/Tazobactam for Pediatric Patients: Current Status and Future Implications.
abstract: Antibiotics are arguably the greatest medical development of the 20th century but these precious resources are being threatened by the continued rise in infections caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria. There is concern that we are on the precipice of a 'post-antibiotic era'. The situation is exacerbated by a stagnation in the pharmaceutical industry in developing new antibiotics, particularly those with activity against some of the most resistant Gram-negative organisms because of significant economic, scientific, and regulatory barriers. One of the products of recent initiatives to reinvigorate the antibiotic pipeline is the agent ceftolozane/tazobactam. Ceftolozane/tazobactam was approved in December 2014 by the US Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections and complicated intra-abdominal infections for patients 18 years of age and older. The safety and effectiveness of ceftolozane/tazobactam in pediatric patients has not been established in clinical studies. However, with the rise of highly drug-resistant Gram-negative organisms in children and the current climate of ongoing, multiple, and simultaneous antibiotic shortages--particularly of broad-spectrum antibiotics, the potential off-label role of ceftolozane/tazobactam for children needs to be explored while pediatric studies are ongoing. The objective of this opinion piece is to discuss what is currently known about ceftolozane/tazobactam and its potential implications for use in the pediatric population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, Long Island University, Long Island, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Seetha M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Tamma
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Alice J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hsu
authors.affiliation: Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 200 North Wolfe Street, Suite 3149, Baltimore, MD, 21287, USA. ptamma1@jhmi.edu.
authors.forename: Pranita D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Tamma
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002511:Cephalosporins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D002648:Child; D006801:Humans; D059413:Intraabdominal Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010397:Penicillanic Acid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives*; D000078142:Tazobactam
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002511:Cephalosporins; C519491:ceftolozane; D010397:Penicillanic Acid; D000078142:Tazobactam