Faropenem for the management of infectious diseases – A systematic review of in vitro susceptibility tests and clinical studies

This comprehensive review aimed to understand the activity and resistance pattern of faropenem compared to other antimicrobial agents. A literature search was performed using the PubMed database to identify studies published in the English language. The inclusion criteria were clinical studies involving adults and/or children with respiratory or urinary tract infections that evaluated faropenem use and resistance patterns compared to other antibiotics, in inpatient, outpatient, and/or preclinical settings. In vitro studies reporting the activity of faropenem against clinical isolates of bacteria were included in the study. Of 327 identified articles, two clinical and 21 in vitro studies were considered eligible. The clinical studies, which included adult patients with acute bacterial sinusitis, showed improvement with faropenem compared to cefuroxime. The in vitro studies indicated the activity of faropenem against Gram-positive (e.g., Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Clostridium, and Enterococcus) and Gram-negative bacteria (e.g., Hemophilus influenzae, Escherichia coli, and Proteus, Pseudomonas, Citrobacter, and Bacteroides species) compared to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid combination, cefpodoxime, levofloxacin, and azithromycin. Faropenem also showed activity against β-lactamase–producing and penicillin-, ampicillin-, and methicillin-resistant strains. Faropenem exhibited antimicrobial activity against a broad spectrum of bacterial pathogens, including resistant strains. Furthermore, faropenem has the potential to treat community-acquired infections, particularly respiratory tract infections.