Cefotaxime

Cephalosporin Antibacterial — ANTIINFECTIVES FOR SYSTEMIC USE

Key facts

Cefotaxime is an ofm drug in the Cephalosporin Antibacterial class catalogued in DrugCentral. It was first approved by the FDA in 1981. DrugCentral lists 6 molecular targets, including mrcA, Beta-lactamase and ftsI. Recorded indications include Bacterial arthritis, Bacterial infection due to Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacterial infection due to Serratia and Bacterial meningitis.

• Approval status: ofm (first approved 1981 by the FDA).
• Drug class: Cephalosporin Antibacterial.
• Molecular targets: mrcA, Beta-lactamase, ftsI and mrcB (6 listed in DrugCentral).
• Indications: Bacterial arthritis, Bacterial infection due to Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacterial infection due to Serratia, Bacterial meningitis and Bacterial pneumonia and others.
• ATC code: J01DD01 (Third-generation cephalosporins).
• Molecular formula: C16H17N5O7S2; molecular weight 455.46 g/mol.

Indications & contraindications

Drug–disease relationships curated by DrugCentral (OMOP / SNOMED concepts).

Indications (78)

• Bacterial arthritis
• Bacterial infection due to Klebsiella pneumoniae
• Bacterial infection due to Serratia
• Bacterial meningitis
• Bacterial pneumonia
• Bacterial septicemia
• Bacterial urinary infection
• Bacteroides Endometritis
• Bacteroides Pelvic Cellulitis
• Bacteroides Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
• Cesarean Section Infection Prevention
• Citrobacter Urinary Tract Infection
• Clostridium Endometritis
• Clostridium Pelvic Cellulitis
• Clostridium Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
• Clostridium Peritonitis
• E. Coli Endometritis
• E. Coli Pelvic Cellulitis
• E. Coli Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
• E. Coli Peritonitis
• Enterobacter Endometritis
• Enterobacter Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
• Enterobacter Pneumonia
• Enterococcus Endometritis
• Enterococcus Pelvic Cellulitis
• Enterococcus Pelvic Inflammatory Disease
• Enterococcus Urinary Tract Infection
• Escherichia coli meningitis
• Escherichia coli urinary tract infection
• Female genital tract infection
• + 48 more

Off-label uses (12)

• Acute gonococcal cervicitis
• Acute gonococcal urethritis
• Disseminated Gonococcal Infection
• Gonorrhea of rectum
• Infection by Yersinia enterocolitica
• Lyme arthritis
• Lyme carditis
• Lyme disease
• Lyme Disease of the Central Nervous System
• Pseudotuberculosis
• Pyrexia of unknown origin
• Ventilator-acquired pneumonia

Contraindications (2)

• Acute nephropathy
• Pseudomembranous enterocolitis

Mechanism & targets

• Established pharmacologic class: Cephalosporin Antibacterial

Molecular targets (6)

Target	Gene	Action	Activity
Penicillin-binding protein 1A	mrcA	inhibitor	IC50 6.51
Beta-lactamase	—	unknown	Ki 6.30
Peptidoglycan synthase FtsI	ftsI	inhibitor	IC50 6.24
Penicillin-binding protein 1B	mrcB	inhibitor	IC50 5.66
Beta-lactamase	ampC	unknown	Ki 5.60
Penicillin-binding protein 2	mrdA	inhibitor	IC50 4.62

Regulatory approvals (1)

Date	Agency	Marketed as	Applicant	Orphan
1981-03-11	FDA	—	SANOFI AVENTIS US

ATC classification

ATC code	Therapeutic hierarchy
J01DD01	ANTIINFECTIVES FOR SYSTEMIC USE › ANTIBACTERIALS FOR SYSTEMIC USE › OTHER BETA-LACTAM ANTIBACTERIALS › Third-generation cephalosporins
J01DD51	ANTIINFECTIVES FOR SYSTEMIC USE › ANTIBACTERIALS FOR SYSTEMIC USE › OTHER BETA-LACTAM ANTIBACTERIALS › Third-generation cephalosporins

Reported adverse-event signals

Strongest FDA FAERS disproportionality signals (log-likelihood ratio). A signal is a statistical association in spontaneous reports, not proof that the drug causes the event.

MedDRA term	LLR
Drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms	963.7
Hepatocellular injury	443.0
Rash maculo-papular	413.2
Toxic epidermal necrolysis	391.4
Eosinophilia	298.9
Acute generalised exanthematous pustulosis	214.5
Agranulocytosis	199.1
Acute kidney injury	195.5
Hepatic cytolysis	180.3
Cholestasis	176.2
Pyrexia	162.3
Clostridium difficile colitis	160.0

Chemical structure

• Molecular formula: C₁₆H₁₇N₅O₇S₂
• Molecular weight: 455.46 g/mol
• CAS number: 63527-52-6
• InChIKey: GPRBEKHLDVQUJE-QSWIMTSFSA-N
• PubChem CID: 5742673

CO\N=C(/C(=O)N[C@H]1[C@H]2SCC(COC(C)=O)=C(N2C1=O)C(O)=O)C1=CSC(N)=N1

Frequently asked questions

Answers are generated from the structured data on this page, not written by hand.

What is Cefotaxime used for?

DrugCentral lists the following indications for Cefotaxime: Bacterial arthritis, Bacterial infection due to Klebsiella pneumoniae, Bacterial infection due to Serratia, Bacterial meningitis, Bacterial pneumonia, Bacterial septicemia, Bacterial urinary infection and Bacteroides Endometritis and others.

How does Cefotaxime work?

Its molecular targets in DrugCentral include mrcA (inhibitor), Beta-lactamase, ftsI (inhibitor) and mrcB (inhibitor).

When was Cefotaxime first approved?

Cefotaxime was first approved by the FDA in 1981.

What drug class does Cefotaxime belong to?

Cefotaxime is in the Cephalosporin Antibacterial class.

What is the chemical formula of Cefotaxime?

Cefotaxime has the molecular formula C16H17N5O7S2 and a molecular weight of 455.46 g/mol.

Sources

• DrugCentral drug card 546 — structure, indications, targets, approvals, pharmacologic classes (CC BY-SA 4.0)
• ChEMBL CHEMBL1010 — compound record and bioactivity
• PubChem CID 5742673 — chemical identifiers
• DrugBank DB00493 — drug record
• FDA UNII N2GI8B1GK7 — substance identity
• DailyMed: FDA labels for Cefotaxime — current prescribing information (label search)
• FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (openFDA FAERS) — adverse-event signals, as aggregated by DrugCentral

How this page is built: methodology · editorial policy & corrections.