Ceftazidime/avibactam from Forest/AstraZeneca enters Phase III trials

AstraZeneca and Forest Laboratories, Inc. announced that ceftazidime/avibactam (CAZ-AVI) will enter phase III trials to investigate efficacy in treating hospitalised patients with serious Gram-negative bacterial infections including Complicated Intra-Abdominal Infections (cIAI) and Complicated Urinary Tract Infections (cUTI). CAZ-AVI combines a broad-spectrum cephalosporin (ceftazidime) and a novel beta-lactamase inhibitor (avibactam, formerly NXL104) to overcome antibiotic-resistance and treat the increasing number of infections resistant to existing therapies. This study programme will include five phase III trials designed to demonstrate that CAZ-AVI is an effective and well tolerated treatment for patients with cIAI and cUTI including those patients with infections that may be resistant to currently available antibiotics