Role of Faropenem in Treatment of Pediatric Infections: The Current State of Knowledge

Carbapenems play an important role in the management of bacterial infections. Meropenem, imipenem, ertapenem, and faropenem are carbapenems with the broadest antibacterial spectrum and strong antibacterial activity. Faropenem is a novel oral carbapenem with an advantage over other parenteral carbapenems in the series. Like other β-lactam antibiotics, faropenem inhibits cell wall synthesis by inhibiting penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs). Faropenem is stable against β-lactamase and has a low propensity for bacterial resistance. Faropenem has demonstrated excellent in-vitro and clinical activity in adult infections with a broad spectrum of activity. Faropenem also has a favorable safety profile. These activities of the faropenem created the interest of researchers in exploring its use in the treatment of pediatric infections. After promising outcomes in-vitro and clinical evaluation in children, faropenem is now approved in some parts of the world for the treatment of pediatric infections. Faropenem oral dry syrup is available for the treatment of a wide range of pediatric infections, including upper respiratory tract infections, urinary tract infections, dermatological infections, and bacterial periodontal infections in children. The current recommended clinical dose in pediatric patients is 15 mg/kg/ day, divided into three doses. The availability of faropenem dry syrup has expanded the current therapeutic options for treating pediatric infections. In this review, we have put light on the in-vitro and clinical studies of faropenem dry syrup in pediatric patients, along with its molecular and pharmacological basics.