Safety and effectiveness of ceftaroline fosamil in children: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Antibiotic resistance is an increasingly growing health problem worldwide, so it is imperative to look for new, more effective antibiotics. Ceftaroline has a broad spectrum of activity against clinically relevant Grampositive strains, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae strains, as well as Gram-negative pathogens implicated in skin and soft tissue infections or community-acquired pneumonia; it is therefore a potential therapeutic option. We conducted a systematic review to assess whether ceftaroline was safer and more effective than comparators.

A comprehensive bibliographic search was done to identify experimental clinical trials that compared the safety and effectiveness of ceftaroline to a comparator in the pediatric population. The rate of therapeutic failure was used to determine the effectiveness, while the presence of any adverse event was considered for safety.

Three studies were identified: two in community-acquired pneumonia and one in skin and soft tissue infections. No study showed a difference in the risk for therapeutic failure, relative risk (RR): 0.97 (0.54-1.73), or safety criterion, RR: 0.79 (0.51-1.23).

The available evidence suggests that ceftaroline may be a valid therapeutic option for the management of skin and soft tissue infections or community-acquired pneumonia in pediatric patients. No studies with a high-quality of evidence were observed in other types of infections or in patients admitted to the critical care unit.