Cefixime, sold under the brand name Suprax among others, is an

antibiotic An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention of ...

medication used to treat a number of bacterial infections. These infections include

otitis media Otitis media is a group of inflammatory diseases of the middle ear. One of the two main types is acute otitis media (AOM), an infection of rapid onset that usually presents with ear pain. In young children this may result in pulling at the ear, ...

, strep throat,

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

, urinary tract infections, gonorrhea, and

Lyme disease Lyme disease, also known as Lyme borreliosis, is a vector-borne disease caused by the ''Borrelia'' bacterium, which is spread by ticks in the genus ''Ixodes''. The most common sign of infection is an expanding red rash, known as erythema migran ...

. For gonorrhea typically only one dose is required. In the United States it is a second-line treatment to

ceftriaxone Ceftriaxone, sold under the brand name Rocephin, is a third-generation cephalosporin antibiotic used for the treatment of a number of bacterial infections. These include middle ear infections, endocarditis, meningitis, pneumonia, bone and joint ...

for gonorrhea. It is taken by mouth. Common side effects include

diarrhea Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin wi ...

abdominal pain Abdominal pain, also known as a stomach ache, is a symptom Signs and symptoms are the observed or detectable signs, and experienced symptoms of an illness, injury, or condition. A sign for example may be a higher or lower temperature than ...

, and

nausea Nausea is a diffuse sensation of unease and discomfort, sometimes perceived as an urge to vomit. While not painful, it can be a debilitating symptom if prolonged and has been described as placing discomfort on the chest, abdomen, or back of the ...

. Serious side effects may include

allergic reaction Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic derma ...

s and ''Clostridium difficile'' diarrhea. It is not recommended in people with a history of a severe penicillin allergy. It appears to be relatively safe during

pregnancy Pregnancy is the time during which one or more offspring develops ( gestates) inside a woman's uterus (womb). A multiple pregnancy involves more than one offspring, such as with twins. Pregnancy usually occurs by sexual intercourse, but ca ...

. It is in the

third-generation cephalosporin The cephalosporins (sg. ) are a class of β-lactam antibiotics originally derived from the fungus ''Acremonium'', which was previously known as ''Cephalosporium''. Together with cephamycins, they constitute a subgroup of β-lactam antibiotics ...

class of medications. It works by disrupting the bacteria's

cell wall A cell wall is a structural layer surrounding some types of cells, just outside the cell membrane. It can be tough, flexible, and sometimes rigid. It provides the cell with both structural support and protection, and also acts as a filtering mech ...

resulting in its death. Cefixime was patented in 1979 and approved for medical use in the United States in 1989. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines. It is available as a

generic medication A generic drug is a pharmaceutical drug that contains the same chemical substance as a drug that was originally protected by chemical patents. Generic drugs are allowed for sale after the patents on the original drugs expire. Because the active ch ...

in the United States.

Medical uses

Cefixime treats infections of the: * Urinary tract: Uncomplicated urinary tract infections caused by susceptible isolates of ''Escherichia coli'' and ''Proteus mirabilis''. * Ear:

Otitis media Otitis media is a group of inflammatory diseases of the middle ear. One of the two main types is acute otitis media (AOM), an infection of rapid onset that usually presents with ear pain. In young children this may result in pulling at the ear, ...

caused by ''

Haemophilus influenzae ''Haemophilus influenzae'' (formerly called Pfeiffer's bacillus or ''Bacillus influenzae'') is a Gram-negative, non-motile, coccobacillary, facultatively anaerobic, capnophilic pathogenic bacterium of the family Pasteurellaceae. The bacteria ...

'', '' Moraxella catarrhalis'' and '' Streptococcus pyogenes''. * Throat: Tonsillitis and pharyngitis caused by '' Streptococcus pyogenes''. * Chest and lungs: Chronic bronchitis caused by '' Streptococcus pneumoniae ''and ''

''. * Cervix and urethra: Gonorrhea (cervical/urethral) caused by susceptible isolates of ''Neisseria gonorrhoeae'' (penicillinase-and non-penicillinase-producing isolates). *Skin and soft tissue infection: effective against group A and B beta-hemolytic streptococci. However, Staphylococcus aureus, coagulase-negative staphylococci and enterococci are resistant. It is also used to treat

typhoid fever Typhoid fever, also known as typhoid, is a disease caused by '' Salmonella'' serotype Typhi bacteria. Symptoms vary from mild to severe, and usually begin six to 30 days after exposure. Often there is a gradual onset of a high fever over several ...

Spectrum of bacterial susceptibility

Cefixime is a broad spectrum cephalosporin antibiotic and is commonly used to treat bacterial infections of the ear, urinary tract, and upper respiratory tract. The following represents MIC susceptibility data for a few medically significant microorganisms: * ''Escherichia coli'': 0.015 µg/mL – 4 µg/mL * ''Haemophilus influenzae'': ≤0.004 µg/mL – >4 µg/mL * ''Proteus mirabilis'': ≤0.008 µg/mL – 0.06 µg/mL * Streptococcus pneumoniae: 0.12 µg/mL * Staphylococcus aureus: >128 µg/mL (Resistant) * Enterobacter spp. : >128 µg/mL (Resistant)

Mechanism of action

The bactericidal action of Cefixime is due to the inhibition of cell wall synthesis. It binds to one of the

penicillin binding proteins Penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) are a group of proteins that are characterized by their affinity for and binding of penicillin. They are a normal constituent of many bacteria; the name just reflects the way by which the protein was discove ...

(PBPs) which inhibits the final transpeptidation step of the peptidoglycan synthesis in the bacterial cell wall, thus inhibiting biosynthesis and arresting cell wall assembly resulting in bacterial cell death. ''Absorption'' Only 40–50% is absorbed from the GI tract (oral bioavailability). Absorption may be slowed but not decreased when taken with food. Average peak concentration after administration of oral suspension is approximately 25–50% greater than the peak concentration following oral tablet or capsules administration. ''Distribution'' It has high concentrations in

bile Bile (from Latin ''bilis''), or gall, is a dark-green-to-yellowish-brown fluid produced by the liver of most vertebrates that aids the digestion of lipids in the small intestine. In humans, bile is produced continuously by the liver (liver bile ...

and

urine Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and in many other animals. Urine flows from the kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder. Urination results in urine being excretion, excreted from the body through the urethra. Cel ...

. It can cross the placenta and its protein binding capacity is 65%. It is always better to perform appropriate cultures and susceptibility studies to determine the causative organism and its sensitivity to cefixime.

Contraindications

Cefixime is contraindicated in patients with known sensitivity or allergies to

cephalosporin The cephalosporins (sg. ) are a class of β-lactam antibiotics originally derived from the fungus ''Acremonium'', which was previously known as ''Cephalosporium''. Together with cephamycins, they constitute a subgroup of β-lactam antibiotics ...

class of

antibiotics An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention o ...

. As Cefixime is a third generation cephalosporin, it is not contraindicated for patients with a true penicillin allergy.

Adverse effects

Adverse drug reactions include

, dyspepsia,

and vomiting. Hypersensitivity reactions like skin rashes, urticaria and Stevens–Johnson syndrome have been reported. Though thrombocytopenia has been reported for many cephalosporins, it has not been reported for cefixime. There is no specific antidote for Cefixime overdosage. Gastric lavage may be performed. Dialysis will not remove Cefixime in significant quantities.

Drug interactions

* Alcohol – No major interaction has been observed between cefixime and alcohol.

History

It was sold under the trade name Suprax 125 in the United States until 2003, when it was taken off the market by drug manufacturer Wyeth after its

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

expired. Lupin started selling Suprax in the United States in 2007, and it is available in different formulations and strengths.

Marketing

Cefixime is marketed under many

trade name A trade name, trading name, or business name, is a pseudonym used by companies that do not operate under their registered company name. The term for this type of alternative name is a "fictitious" business name. Registering the fictitious name w ...

s worldwide; examples include Pancef, Caricef, Taxim o, Texit,Ofex, Cef-3, Denvar, 3-C, Cefim, Magnett, Oroken, Ofiken, Fix-A, and Zifi. In India it is marketed as Zifi 200 and is commonly counterfeited.

References

External links

* {{portal bar, Medicine Cephalosporin antibiotics Thiazoles World Health Organization essential medicines Wikipedia medicine articles ready to translate Vinyl compounds