Original Investigation
October 4, 2022
Effect of Cefepime/Enmetazobactam vs Piperacillin/Tazobactam on Clinical Cure and Microbiological Eradication in Patients With Complicated Urinary Tract Infection or Acute Pyelonephritis: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Keith S. Kaye, Adam Belley, Philip Barth, et al
JAMA. 2022;328(13):1304-1314. doi:10.1001/jama.2022.17034
Key Points
Question How does the efficacy of cefepime/enmetazobactam compare with piperacillin/tazobactam for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infection (UTI) or acute pyelonephritis?
Findings In this randomized clinical trial that included 1034 patients, the proportion of patients infected with gram-negative pathogens who achieved clinical cure and microbiological eradication at the test-of-cure visit was 79.1% with cefepime/enmetazobactam compared with 58.9% with piperacillin/tazobactam, a difference that met the prespecified noninferiority margin of −10% as well as the prespecified criterion for superiority in favor of cefepime/enmetazobactam.
Meaning Among patients with complicated UTI or acute pyelonephritis due to gram-negative pathogens, cefepime/enmetazobactam, compared with piperacillin/tazobactam, met criteria for noninferiority as well as superiority with respect to the primary efficacy outcome of clinical cure and microbiological eradication.
Abstract
Importance Cefepime/enmetazobactam is a novel β-lactam/β-lactamase inhibitor combination and a potential empirical therapy for resistant gram-negative infections.
Objective To evaluate whether cefepime/enmetazobactam was noninferior to piperacillin/tazobactam for the primary outcome of treatment efficacy in patients with complicated urinary tract infections (UTIs) or acute pyelonephritis.
Design, Setting, and Participants A phase 3, randomized, double-blind, active-controlled, multicenter, noninferiority clinical trial conducted at 90 sites in Europe, North and Central America, South America, and South Africa. Recruitment occurred between September 24, 2018, and November 2, 2019. Final follow-up occurred November 26, 2019. Participants were adult patients aged 18 years or older with a clinical diagnosis of complicated UTI or acute pyelonephritis caused by gram-negative urinary pathogens.
Interventions Eligible patients were randomized to receive either cefepime, 2 g/enmetazobactam, 0.5 g (n = 520), or piperacillin, 4 g/tazobactam, 0.5 g (n = 521), by 2-hour infusion every 8 hours for 7 days (up to 14 days in patients with a positive blood culture at baseline).
Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was the proportion of patients in the primary analysis set (patients who received any amount of study drug with a baseline gram-negative pathogen not resistant to either treatment and ≥105 colony-forming units [CFU]/mL in urine culture or the same pathogen present in concurrent blood and urine cultures) who achieved overall treatment success (defined as clinical cure combined with microbiological eradication [<103 CFU/mL in urine] of infection). Two-sided 95% CIs were computed using the stratified Newcombe method. The prespecified noninferiority margin was −10%. If noninferiority was established, a superiority comparison was also prespecified.
Results Among 1041 patients randomized (mean age, 54.7 years; 573 women [55.0%]), 1034 (99.3%) received study drug and 995 (95.6%) completed the trial. Among the primary analysis set, the primary outcome occurred in 79.1% (273/345) of patients receiving cefepime/enmetazobactam compared with 58.9% (196/333) receiving piperacillin/tazobactam (between-group difference, 21.2% [95% CI, 14.3% to 27.9%]). Treatment-emergent adverse events occurred in 50.0% (258/516) of patients treated with cefepime/enmetazobactam and 44.0% (228/518) with piperacillin/tazobactam; most were mild to moderate in severity (89.9% vs 88.6%, respectively). A total of 1.7% (9/516) of participants who received cefepime/enmetazobactam and 0.8% (4/518) of those who received piperacillin/tazobactam did not complete the assigned therapy due to adverse events.
Conclusions and Relevance Among patients with complicated UTI or acute pyelonephritis caused by gram-negative pathogens, cefepime/enmetazobactam, compared with piperacillin/tazobactam, met criteria for noninferiority as well as superiority with respect to the primary outcome of clinical cure and microbiological eradication. Further research is needed to determine the potential role for cefepime/enmetazobactam in the treatment of complicated UTI and pyelonephritis.
Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03687255
