FDA clears Ortho-McNeil's Doribax

USA-based Ortho-McNeil, a unit of health care major Johnson & Johnson, says that the Food and Drug Administration has approved its product Doribax (doripenem for injection) for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal and urinary tract infections. The drug, a member of the carbapenem family of antibacterial agents, has demonstrated activity against a wide range of gram positive and gram negative bacteria, including members of the genus Pseudomonas that are responsible for the many UT infections. Ortho-McNeil said that it will market the agent to US hospitals and health care institutions through its institutional franchise. The firm added that the product is under review as a treatment for hospital-acquired (nosocomial) pneumonia.