IMIPENEM CILASTATIN (1.5 G DAILY) VERSUS MEROPENEM (3.0 G DAILY) IN PATIENTS WITH INTRAABDOMINAL INFECTIONS - RESULTS OF A PROSPECTIVE, RANDOMIZED, MULTICENTER TRIAL/

An open-label prospective, randomized, parallel multicentre study was undertaken to compare the efficacy and tolerability of 1.5 g/day intra venous imipenem/cilastatin with 3 g/day intravenous meropenem in the t reatment of intra-abdominal infections, A total of 287 patients mere e nrolled; 201 patients, divided between the 2 treatment groups, were ev aluable. Clinical outcome, bacteriological outcome, untoward microbiol ogical effects, and clinical and laboratory adverse experiences mere e valuated, 98% of patients receiving imipenem/cilastatin therapy mere c ured, with 96% showing eradication of infection, 95% of those on merop enem mere cured, with 98% showing eradication. These differences in cl inical and bacteriological outcome between the 2 treatments were not s tatistically significant, Two patients receiving imipenem/cilastatin a nd 5 receiving meropenem had untoward microbiological effects. There m as a 0.7% frequency (1/139 patients) of possibly or probably drug-rela ted clinical or laboratory adverse experiences with imipenem/cilastati n and a 2.7% frequency (4/148) with meropenem, The mean time to deferv escence was significantly less for patients in the imipenem/cilastatin treatment group than for those receiving meropenem. This study shows that 1.5 g/day of imipenem/cilastatin is equivalent to 3.0 g/day merop enem in clinical and bacteriological outcome, as well as in incidence of side effects.