LEDERLE'S ZOSYN LAUNCHED IN USA

Lederle Laboratories has launched its new broad-spectrum antibiotic Zosyn (piperacillin sodium and tazobactam sodium) onto the market in the USA. The product was approved last month (Marketletter November 1). Zosyn represents the first new intravenous beta lactamase inhibitor combination to be made available for marketing in the USA in the last six years.

The company said that Zosyn is effective as a presumptive therapy, even before the causative organism in an infection is identified, because it has an extremely broad-spectrum of bactericidal activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative aerobic and anaerobic organisms.

Zosyn is indicated for: intra-abdominal infections, specifically appendicitis (complicated by rupture or abscess) and peritonitis, due to Escherichia coli or the following members of the Bacteroides fragilis group: B fragilis, B ovatus, B thetaiotamicron or B vulgaris; skin and skin structure infections including cellulitis, cutaneous abscess, and ischemic/diabetic foot infections due to Staphylococcus aureus; gynecologic infections, specifically postpartum endometritis and pelvic inflammatory disease due to E Coli; and community-acquired pneumonia of moderate severity due to Hemophilus influenzae.