What is "cefotaxime"

n. A wide-spectrum antibiotic with efficacy against most bacteria.

n. a parenteral cephalosporin (trade name Claforan) used for severe infections of the lungs or throat or ears or urinary tract [syn: Claforan]

Cefotaxime ( INN) is a third-generation cephalosporin antibiotic. Like other third-generation cephalosporins, cefotaxime is a broad-spectrum antibiotic with activity against numerous gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. Developed by Hoechst-Roussel Pharmaceuticals in the late 1980s, it was among the first third-generation ("extended spectrum") cephalosporins and the first of its class to become available in the United States. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most important medications needed in a basic health system.