Ceftaroline for severe community-acquired pneumonia: A real-world two-centre experience in Italy and Spain

Ceftaroline is one of latest additions to the armamentarium for treating community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). This study aimed to describe the outcome of severe CAP (SCAP) in a cohort of hospitalised patients treated with ceftaroline.

A retrospective, observational study of patients with SCAP treated with ceftaroline in two hospitals in Spain and Italy. The primary objective was to explore 30-day mortality after diagnosis of SCAP.

During the study period the following were observed: there were 89 cases of SCAP treated with ceftaroline and 53 cases used in combination with other antibiotics (60%). Overall, 30-day mortality and clinical failure were 20% (18 of 89) and 36% (32 of 89), respectively. Independent predictors of 30-day mortality were: increasing age (OR for 1 year increase 1.0, 95% CI 1.0-1.1, P 0.043), presence of solid neoplasm (OR 4.0, 95% CI 1.0-15.1, P 0.044) and concomitant therapy with oseltamivir (OR 8.5, 95% CI 1.2°57.3, P 0.029). The only independent predictor of clinical failure was the time elapsing from SCAP diagnosis to ceftaroline therapy (OR for each passing day 1.5, 95% CI 1.1-1.9, P 0.003). The clinical success rate was 64% (57 of 89). In the subgroups of patients with proven Streptococcus pneumoniae, methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) infection, clinical success was 83% (10 of 12), 75% (three of four) and 56% (five of nine), respectively.

Considering its spectrum of activity, ceftaroline could represent an important therapeutic option for SCAP. Further studies are needed to identify the precise clinical success rate against MRSA in a larger cohort of patients with SCAP.