MAST^® has a new addition to the mastdiscs^® range – Ceftazadime/avibactam 10-4 (EUCAST compatible CZA14C) and Ceftazadime/avibactam 30-20 (CLSI compatible CZA50C),  are available now in cartridge format.

Marketed commercially as Zavicefta, this novel compound combines ceftazidime and avibactam to provide a solution for the treatment of Gram-negative organisms that confer resistance to β-lactam antibiotics and pose a considerable threat to public health.

Ceftazidime is active against numerous clinically relevant Gram-negative bacilli including Pseudomonas aeruginosa; but is readily hydrolysed by many β-lactamases, decreasing its effect against multi -drug resistant (MDR) organisms.

Avibactam is a non-β-lactam β-lactamase inhibitor that inhibits a variety of β-lactamases including class A, class C and some class D enzymes which erode the activity of β-lactam drugs in multidrug resistant pathogens. These characteristics allow avibactam to restore the in vitro efficacy of ceftazidime by giving it a longer half-life within the body.

Ceftazadime/avibactam functions by utilising avibactam to inhibit class A and class C β-lactamases, such as extended-spectrum beta lactamases (ESBLs), Klebsiella pneumoniae producing carbapenemases (KPCs), and cephalosporinases (AmpCs), rendering them inactive. The activity of ceftazidime remains intact and active against Gram-negative bacilli, which confer resistance to β-lactam antibiotics.