Efficacy of Intravenous Infusion of Doripenem

Initial treatment of nosocomial pneumonia (NP), including ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), is usually empirical. The use of a broad-spectrum antibiotic regimen to treat NP-VAP that is active against suspected multidrug-resistant pathogens maximizes the likelihood of a favorable outcome. In a post hoc analysis of pooled data from 2 prospective, randomized, open-label, phase 3 NP-VAP trials, doripenem, a new broad-spectrum carbapenem with antipseudomonal activity, demonstrated noninferiority to standard comparator regimens (imipenem and piperacillin-tazobactam) with regard to clinical and microbiological outcomes. In subgroup analyses, doripenem continued to show noninferiority to the comparator drugs in achieving clinical and microbiological cures in populations at high risk of multidrug-resistant infection, such as patients with late-onset VAP (defined as patients who develop VAP >5 days after intubation) or those with NP-VAP caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa or complicated by bacteremia. Overall, the clinical data indicate that doripenem has the potential to be an important option in the treatment of NP, including VAP.