Susceptible organisms

Cefdinir is a bactericidal antibiotic of the cephalosporin class of antibiotics. It can be used to treat infections caused by several Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria.

Bacterial susceptibility and resistance

Cefdinir is a broad-spectrum antibiotic and has been used to treat infections of the respiratory tract including pneumonia, sinusitis, and bronchitis. The following represents MIC susceptibility data for a few medically significant microorganisms.^[6]

• Haemophilus influenzae: 0.05 - 4 μg/ml
• Streptococcus pneumoniae: 0.006 - 64 μg/ml
• Streptococcus pyogenes: ≤0.004 - 2 μg/ml

Economics

As of 2008, cefdinir was the highest-selling cephalosporin antibiotic in the United States, with more than $585 million in retail sales of its generic versions.^{[9][needs update]}

Available forms

Cefdinir is administered orally. It is available as capsules and a suspension. Dosage, schedule, and duration of therapy varies according to the type of infection.

Warner-Lambert licensed the drug for marketing in US from Fujisawa.^[10] Abbott obtained U.S. marketing rights to cefdinir in December 1998 through an agreement with Warner-Lambert Company.^[11] It was approved by the FDA on 4 December 1997.^[12] It is available in US as Omnicef by Abbott Laboratories and in India as Cednir by Abbott, Kefnir by Glenmark, Cefdair by Xalra Pharma and Cefdiel by Ranbaxy.

Synthesis

Acylation of the primary amine 1 with 4-bromo-3-oxobutanoyl bromide (2) leads to the amide (3). The active methylene group in that product is then nitrosated with sodium nitrite; the initial product spontaneously tautomerizes to afford the oxime (4). The bromoketone array in that intermediate constitutes a classical starting function for construction of thiazoles. Reaction of 4 with thiourea thus leads to formation of an aminothiazole moiety. Thus there is obtained the antibiotic cefdinir (5).