FDA approves new antibacterial drug Zerbaxa

20 December 2014

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Cubist Pharmaceuticals’ (Nasdaq: CBST) Zerbaxa (ceftolozane/tazobactam), a new antibacterial drug product, to treat adults with complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI) and complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI).

Shares of Cubist - which is the subject of an agreed $8.4 billion acquisition by US pharma giant Merck & Co (NYSE: MRK) - rose 2% in after-hours trading to $100.75 (The Pharma Letter December 8). Just ahead of the FDA announcement on Friday, Merck commenced its tender off for Cubist.

Zerbaxa is a combination product containing ceftolozane, a cephalosporin antibacterial drug, and tazobactam, a beta-lactamase inhibitor. Zerbaxa is used to treat cUTI, including kidney infection (pyelonephritis). It is used in combination with metronidazole to treat cIAI.

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