Human-Simulated Antimicrobial Regimens in Animal Models: Transparency and Validation Are Imperative

Animal infection models are invaluable in optimizing antimicrobial dosage in humans. Utilization of human-simulated regimens (HSRs) in animal models helps to evaluate antimicrobial efficacy at clinically achievable drug concentrations. To that end, pharmacokinetic studies in infected animals and confirmation of the HSR pharmacokinetic profile are essential in evaluating observed versus expected drug concentrations. We present and compare two murine meropenem-vaborbactam HSR profiles, their potential impact on bacterial killing, and clinical translatability.