Cefotaxime (HR 756, CTX), a new synthetic cephalosporin derivative, was recently developed by the combined efforts of Hoechst AG (West Germany) and Roussel Uclaf S. A.(France). Clinical effectiveness ...and safety of cefotaxime were investigated in 102 patients who suffered from complicated urinary tract infections with some underlying disease of the urinary tract. The patients were admitted into the departments of urology of 11 institutes (i. e., Kyushu University and its related university and other hospitals) from June 1978 to February 1979. 1 g of cefotaxime, dissolved in 500 ml of 5 % glucose solution, was i. v. administered by 2 hours, drip infusion 2 times a day (every morning and evening) for 5 consecutive days. 23 of the 102 patients were excluded from clinical evaluations: 15 patients due to insufficient bacteriuria, 4 patients due to insufficient pyuria, 2 patients due to insufficient bacteriuria and pyuria, and 2 patients due to Y. L. O or Candida. Clinical evaluations were thus made in 79 patients using the 2 nd Edition of the Standards for Evaluation of Drug Efficacy in Urinary Tract Infections. The clinical effect of cefotaxime was evaluated to be excellent in 15 patients, good in 31 patients and poor in 33 patients. Cefotaxime treatment success rate was thus 58.2% in this study. Bacteriological examinations revealed that 78 of 98 strains clinically isolated before treatment were eradicated by the administration of cefotaxime. For example, all 19 strains of E. coli, all 7 strains of Klebsiella, 11 of 12 strains of Proteus and 7 of 9 strains of Serratia were eradicated. However, 12 of 16 strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa still persisted after cefotaxime treatment. 25 strains (of which 11 were Pseudomonas aeruginosa) newly appeared after cefotaxime treatment. Rash of the face was observed as side effect in 1 case. However, its relation to cefotaxime was uncertain. Increases in GOT and GPT were observed in 1 case and judged by the investigator to be attributable to cefotaxime. Cefotaxime was globally judged from the above findings to be useful in the treatment of complicated urinary tract infections.
