Cefurex Mechanism of Action

Cefurex 250: Pharmacology: Pharmacodynamics: Cefuroxime Axetil is an oral prodrug of the bactericidal cephalosporin antibiotic cefuroxime, which is resistant to most beta-lactamases and is active against a wide range of gram-positive and gram-negative organisms.
Pharmacokinetics: After oral administration, cefuroxime axetil is absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract and rapidly hydrolysed in the intestinal mucosa and blood to release cefuroxime into the circulation. Optimum absorption occurs when it is administered after a meal. Peak serum cefuroxime levels occur approximately two to three hours after oral dosing. The serum half life is about 1.2 hours. Approximately 50% of serum cefuroxime is protein bound. Cefuroxime is not metabolised and is excreted by glomerular filtration and tubular secretion. Concurrent administration of probenecid increases the area under the mean serum concentration time curve by 50%. Serum levels of cefuroxime are reduced by dialysis.
Microbiology: Cefuroxime Axetil owes its in vivo bactericidal activity to the parent compound, cefuroxime. Cefuroxime is a well-characterized and effective antibacterial agent which has broad-spectrum bactericidal activity against a wide range of common pathogens, including beta-lactamase-producing strains. Cefuroxime has good stability to bacterial beta-lactamase and consequently, is active against many ampicillin-resistant and amoxicillin-resistant strains. The bactericidal action of cefuroxime results from inhibition of cell-wall synthesis by binding to essential target proteins.
Cefuroxime is usually active against the following organisms in vitro: Aerobes, Gram-negative: Haemophilus influenzae (including ampicillin-resistant strains); Haemophilus parainfluenzae; Moraxella catarrhalis; Escherichia coli; Klebsiella species; Proteus mirabilis, Proteus inconstans; Providencia species; Proteus rettgeri and Neisseria gonorrhoea (including penicillinase and non-penicillinase-producing strains).
Some strains of Morganella morganii, Enterobacter species and Citrobacter species have been shown by in vitro tests to be resistant to cefuroxime and other beta-lactam antibiotics.
Aerobes, Gram-positive: Staphylococcus aureus (including penicillinase-producing strains but excluding methicillin-resistant strains); Staphylococcus epidermidis (including penicillinase-producing strains but excluding methicillin-resistant strains); Streptococcus pyogenes (and beta-haemolytic streptococci), Streptococcus pneumoniae; Streptococcus Group B (Streptococcus agalactiae) and Propionibacterium species.
Certain strains of enterococci, eg. Streptococcus faecalis, are resistant.
Anaerobes, Gram-positive and Gram-negative cocci (including Peptococcus and Peptostreptococcus species); Gram-positive bacilli (including Clostridium species) and Gram-negative bacilli (including Bacteroides and Fusobacterium species). Most strains of Bacteroides fragilis are resistant.
Other organisms, Borrelia burgdorferi.
Pseudomonas species, Campylobacter species, Acinetobacter calcoaceticus, Listeria monocytogenes, Legionella species and most strains of Serratia and Proteus vulgaris and Clostridium difficile are resistant to many cephalosporins including cefuroxime.