Cefepime clinical studies
Febrile Neutropenic Patients
The safety and efficacy of empiric cefepime monotherapy of febrile neutropenic patients have been assessed in two multicenter, randomized trials comparing cefepime monotherapy (at a dose of 2 g intravenously every 8 hours) to ceftazidime monotherapy (at a dose of 2 g intravenously every 8 hours). These studies comprised 317 evaluable patients.
| Total | Cefepime | Ceftazidime |
| 164 | 153 | |
| Median age (yr) | 56 (range, 18 to 82) | 55 (range, 16 to 84) |
| Male | 86 (52%) | 85 (56%) |
| Female | 78 (48%) | 68 (44%) |
| Leukemia | 65 (40%) | 52 (34%) |
| Other hematologic malignancies | 43 (26%) | 36 (24%) |
| Solid tumor | 54 (33%) | 56 (37%) |
| Median ANC nadir (cells/microliter) | 20 (range, 0 to 500) | 20 (range, 0 to 500) |
| Median duration of neutropenia (days) | 6 (range, 0 to 39) | 6 (range, 0 to 32) |
| Indwelling venous catheter | 97 (59%) | 86 (56%) |
| Prophylactic antibiotics | 62 (38%) | 64 (42%) |
| Bone marrow graft | 9 (5%) | 7 (5%) |
| SBP less than 90 mm Hg at entry | 7 (4%) | 2 (1%) |
ANC = absolute neutrophil count; SBP = systolic blood pressure
