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FDA Approves New Antibiotic
The FDA approved the antibiotic ceftazidime-avibactam for treatment against drug-resistant superbugs.
The drug, manufactured by Actavis Plc, can be used in combination with generic antibiotic metronidazole to treat adults with complicated intra-abdominal infections. As a standalone medication, it is used to treat urinary tract infections.
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Concerns about superbugs have escalated, particularly in the wake of several infected patients at UCLA Health System due to a potentially deadly, drug-resistant strain of the Enterobacteriaceae bacteria, and that more than 100 people might have been exposed to it.
After decades of low investment in antibiotics, pharmaceutical companies are turning their attention back to these drugs because of the spread of superbugs.
The drug is expected to be available in the second quarter of 2015.—Kerri Fitzgerald
