Cefepime

Cefepime is a fourth-generation cephalosporin antibiotic. Cefepime has an extended spectrum of activity against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, with greater activity against both types of organism than third-generation agents. A 2007 meta-analysis suggested when data of trials were combined, mortality was increased in people treated with cefepime compared with other β-lactam antibiotics. In response, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) performed their own meta-analysis which found no mortality difference. Cefepime was patented in 1982 by Bristol-Myers Squibb and approved for medical use in 1994. It is available as a generic drug and sold under a variety of trade names worldwide. It was removed from the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines in 2019.