Tolerance and disposition of cefpimizole in normal human volunteers after intramuscular administration

Cefpimizole sodium (AC-1370, U-63196E) was administered intramuscularly in doses from 100 mg (0.5 ml) to 2,000 mg (two 3.5-ml doses) to healthy human volunteers in three double-blind placebo and positive-controlled (cefotaxime, cephalothin) single-dose studies and in two multiple-dose studies. Mild transient pain was observed at the injection site, but no erythema, petechia, necrosis, or atrophy was noted. Creatinine phosphokinase values were increased during the study in the cefpimizole- and placebo-treated groups but began to return to normal toward the end of the study period (day 5). They were not paralleled by a similar magnitude of elevation in serum glutamic oxalacetic transaminase and lactate dehydrogenase or by pain and tenderness. There were no clinically meaningful or statistically significant changes (P greater than 0.5) or trends in vital signs and no other patterns of drug-related clinical abnormalities noted in any of the laboratory measurements evaluated (hematology, chemistry, urinalysis). No serious side effects occurred during or after the study. Cefpimizole was well tolerated locally and systemically by all the subjects at all administered dosage levels. Cefpimizole concentrations in serum (microbiological assay) remained above 1 microgram/ml at 12 h after drug administration for all dose levels. The median peak concentrations in plasma for the 500- and 1,000-mg twice-daily dosages of cefpimizole were, respectively, 21.6 and 45.5 micrograms/ml on day 1, 16.2 and 43.7 micrograms/ml on day 3, and 20.1 and 41.4 micrograms/ml on day 6 of the study. The apparent terminal disposition half-life throughout the study was about 2.0 h. The median amounts of cefpimizole excreted in the urine for the first 12 h of each day evaluated were 370 and 1,071 mg on day 1, 416 and 972 mg on day 3, and 370 and 975 mg on day 6 for the 500- and 1,000-mg twice-daily dosages, respectively. Dose proportionally of cefpimizole was obtained for the 500- and 1,000-mg and the 2,000-mg groups. The absorption, distribution, and elimination of cefpimizole after multiple-dose intramuscular administration were uniform, were linear in relation to dose, and did not result in drug accumulation.