Comparison of dose doubling with probenecid for sustaining serum cefuroxime levels

Serum cefuroxime concentrations were measured over a 12 h period in ten healthy adults following three iv dosing regimens: 750 mg cefuroxime, 1.5 g cefuroxime, and 750 mg cefuroxime with 1 g of probenecid given orally 3 h before the cefuroxime infusion. Probenecid prolonged the serum cefuroxime half-life by 63% (P < 0.05) with a significant increase in the mean time for which serum cefuroxime concentrations exceeded the MIC90 for common respiratory pathogens (2 mg/L) compared with either 750 mg cefuroxime (2.2 h, P < 0.05) or 1.5 g of cefuroxime (0.9 h, P < 0.05) without probenecid. The cost of the 750 mg cefuroxime dose plus probenecid is approximately half that of a 1.5 g cefuroxime dose.