FDA approves new antibacterial drug to treat complicated urinary tract infections as part of ongoing efforts to address antimicrobial resistance

FDA approves new antibacterial drug to treat complicated urinary tract infections as part of ongoing efforts to address antimicrobial resistance

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Fetroja (cefiderocol), an antibacterial drug for treatment of patients 18 years of age or older with complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI), including kidney infections caused by susceptible Gram-negative microorganisms, who have limited or no alternative treatment options.

Labeling for Fetroja includes a warning regarding the higher all-cause mortality rate observed in Fetroja-treated patients compared to those treated with other antibiotics in a trial in critically ill patients with multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacterial infections. The cause of the increase in mortality has not been established. Some of the deaths were a result of worsening or complications of infection, or underlying co-morbidities. The higher all-cause mortality rate was observed in patients treated for hospital-acquired/ventilator-associated pneumonia (i.e.nosocomial pneumonia), bloodstream infections, or sepsis. The safety and efficacy of Fetroja has not been established for the treatment of these types of infections.

The most common adverse reactions observed in patients treated with Fetroja included diarrhea, constipation, nausea, vomiting, elevations in liver tests, rash, infusion site reactions, candidiasis (yeast infection), cough, headache and hypokalemia (low potassium). Fetroja should not be used in individuals with a known history of severe hypersensitivity to beta-lactam antibacterial drugs.

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