What is "doripenem"

n. An injectable carbapenem antibiotic.

Doripenem is an ultra-broad-spectrum injectable antibiotic. It is a beta-lactam and belongs to the subgroup of carbapenems. It was launched by Shionogi Co. of Japan under the brand name Finibax in 2005 and is being marketed outside Japan by Johnson & Johnson. It is particularly active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The usual form is doripenem monohydrate.

Doripenem can be used for bacterial infections such as: complex abdominal infections, pneumonia within the setting of a hospital, and complicated infections of the urinary tract including kidney infections with septicemia. Doripenem decreases the process of cell wall growth, which eventually leads to elimination of the infectious cell bacteria altogether.

It is recommended that those allergic to doripenem or to any type of beta-lactam antibiotics such as cephalosporin or other Carbapenems not receive doripenem.

Doripenem was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration on October 12, 2007, to be sold under the tradename Doribax. It is the fourth member of the carbapenem class to be approved in the United States. The greater stability of doripenem in aqueous solution compared to earlier members of the carbapenem class allows it to be administered as an infusion over 4 hours or more, which may be advantageous in the treatment of certain difficult-to-treat infections. It may present a lower risk of inducing seizures than other carbapenems.