ABSTRACT
Introduction: Meropenem-vaborbactam is a new beta-lactam/beta-lactamase inhibitor combination that combines a carbapenem antibiotic with a first-in-class, boronic acid pharmacophore, serine beta-lactamase inhibitor which has potent inhibitory activity against class A carbapenemases, especially Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemases (KPC), in addition to other class A and class C beta-lactamases. The US Food and Drug Administration has recently approved meropenem-vaborbactam for the treatment of adult patients with complicated urinary tract infections including acute pyelonephritis.
Areas covered: A PubMed search was performed to gather the most current and relevant articles regarding meropenem-vaborbactam. In this review the authors discuss the chemistry, mechanism of action, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, antimicrobial spectrum, and efficacy and safety of meropenem-vaborbactam for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections including acute pyelonephritis
Expert opinion: Although meropenem-vaborbactam is approved for treatment for complicated urinary tract infections including acute pyelonephritis, it is unlikely, at this point, to be utilized widely beyond cases that are caused by KPC-producing Enterobacteriaceae. It may also be a potential treatment option for complicated urinary tract infections caused by KPC-producing Enterobacteriaceae that are resistant to ceftazidime-avibactam. Long-term safety data with this novel beta-lactamase inhibitor is still needed although early data suggests that it will be safe and well tolerated.
Declaration of interest
The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.
Reviewer disclosures
Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.