Daily Medication Pearl: Piperacillin and Tazobactam (Zosyn)

Medication Pearl of the Day: Piperacillin and Tazobactam (Zosyn)

Indication: Piperacillin and tazobactam (Zosyn) is a combination penicillin-class antibacterial and β-lactamase inhibitor indicated for treatment of intra-abdominal infections, skin and skin structure infections, female pelvic infections, community-acquired pneumonia, and nosocomial pneumonia.

Insight:

• Dosing: The usual daily dose of Zosyn for adults is 3.375 g every 6 hours, totaling 13.5 g.
• Dosage forms: Zosyn for injection 2.25 g, 3.375 g, and 4.5 g lyophilized powder for reconstitution in single-dose vials and 40.5 g lyophilized powder for reconstitution in pharmacy bulk vials.
• Adverse events: The most common adverse reactions (incidence >5%) are diarrhea, constipation, nausea, headache, and insomnia.
• Mechanism of action: Piperacillin sodium exerts bactericidal activity by inhibiting septum formation and cell wall synthesis of susceptible bacteria. In vitro, piperacillin is active against a variety of Gram-positive and Gram-negative aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. Tazobactam sodium has little clinically relevant in vitro activity against bacteria due to its reduced affinity to penicillin-binding proteins.

Source: ZOSYN (piperacillin and tazobactam) for injection (fda.gov)