AstraZeneca receives EU approval for new antibiotic Zavicefta

AstraZeneca has announced that its new antibiotic product Zavicefta has been approved by the European Commission.

Marketing authorisation has been granted to the new combination antibiotic, previously known as CAZ AVI, for the treatment of adult patients with serious Gram-negative bacterial infections requiring hospitalisation.

Combining the benefits of ceftazidime and avibactam, the antibiotic can be used intravenously for the treatment of complicated intra-abdominal infections, urinary tract infections such as pyelonephritis, hospital-acquired pneumonia and aerobic Gram-negative infections.

It has been developed in response to the growing need for new antibiotics to treat serious, treatment-resistant forms of bacteria, and has demonstrated its effectiveness across multiple clinical trials.

Hans Sijbesma, managing director for AstraZeneca's antibiotics business unit, said: "Zavicefta is an important addition to the arsenal of antibiotics in the global fight against antimicrobial resistance."

This comes after the firm's new saxagliptin/dapagliflozin combination therapy for diabetes was recommended for European regulatory approval last month.