| Summary: | <i>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</i> is an opportunistic Gram-negative pathogen that causes a range of serious infections that are often challenging to treat, as this pathogen can express multiple resistance mechanisms, including multidrug-resistant (MDR) and extensively drug-resistant (XDR) phenotypes. Ceftazidime–avibactam is a combination antimicrobial agent comprising ceftazidime, a third-generation semisynthetic cephalosporin, and avibactam, a novel non-β-lactam β-lactamase inhibitor. This review explores the potential role of ceftazidime–avibactam for the treatment of <i>P. aeruginosa</i> infections. Ceftazidime–avibactam has good in vitro activity against <i>P. aeruginosa</i> relative to comparator β-lactam agents and fluoroquinolones, comparable to amikacin and ceftolozane–tazobactam. In Phase 3 clinical trials, ceftazidime–avibactam has generally demonstrated similar clinical and microbiological outcomes to comparators in patients with complicated intra-abdominal infections, complicated urinary tract infections or hospital-acquired/ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by <i>P. aeruginosa</i>. Although real-world data are limited, favourable outcomes with ceftazidime–avibactam treatment have been reported in some patients with MDR and XDR <i>P. aeruginosa</i> infections. Thus, ceftazidime–avibactam may have a potentially important role in the management of serious and complicated <i>P. aeruginosa</i> infections, including those caused by MDR and XDR strains.
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