NCT06811727

Brief Summary

Ceftazidime/avibactam (CZA) is an essential treatment option for managing infections caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) gram-negative (G-) bacteria, including Klebsiella pneumoniae OXA-48 and carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Critically ill intensive care unit (ICU) patients frequently exhibit altered pharmacokinetics (PK) of CZA, potentially compromising optimal PK/pharmacodynamic (PD) target attainment with standard dosing regimens. This study compares the efficacy of continuous infusion (CI) versus conventional intermittent dosing (ID) of CZA in critically ill ICU patients with severe infections caused by K. pneumoniae OXA-48 or P. aeruginosa. This single-centre, randomized, open-label trial will be conducted at a tertiary care hospital within the University Hospital Centre in Zagreb, Croatia, with a 1:1 allocation ratio. One hundred forty critically ill ICU patients requiring CZA treatment will be randomized to receive either ID (2 g/0.5 g every 8 hours over 2 hours) or an equivalent dose in CI (6 g/1.5 g continuously over 24 hours). The primary outcome is the microbiological success rate. Secondary outcomes include clinical success rate, time to symptom improvement, length of ICU and hospital stay, 28-day all-cause mortality, pathogen recurrence rate, time to weaning from mechanical ventilation, cumulative vasoactive-inotropic score, adverse events, and the ratio of ceftazidime plasma concentration to the pathogen's minimum inhibitory concentration (C/MIC). This trial seeks to provide evidence on the optimal administration strategy for CZA in critically ill ICU patients with severe infections due to MDR G- pathogens.

Trial Health

65
Monitor

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
140

participants targeted

Target at P50-P75 for phase_4

Timeline
15mo left

Started May 2025

Typical duration for phase_4

Status
not yet recruiting

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Progress45%
May 2025Aug 2027

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

January 28, 2025

Completed
9 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

February 6, 2025

Completed
3 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

May 1, 2025

Completed
2 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

May 1, 2027

Expected
3 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

August 1, 2027

Last Updated

April 22, 2025

Status Verified

April 1, 2025

Enrollment Period

2 years

First QC Date

January 28, 2025

Last Update Submit

April 19, 2025

Conditions

Keywords

ceftazidime/avibactamcontinuous infusioncritically illICUKlebsiella pneumoniae OXA-48Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • microbiological success rate

    The aim of this study is to investigate efficacy of continuous infusion of ceftazidime/avibactam compared to conventional intermittent dosing, in treating critically ill ICU patients with severe infections caused by Klebsiella pneumoniae OXA-48 or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. The primary outcome of the study is microbiological success rate, defined by proportion of patients in whom the causative pathogen is absent from specimen at the site of infection.

    28 days

Secondary Outcomes (8)

  • clinical success rate

    28 day

  • time to symptoms improvement

    28 day

  • length of ICU stay

    28 day

  • length of hospital stay

    28 day

  • all-cause 28-day mortality after ceftazidime/avibactam initiation

    28 day

  • +3 more secondary outcomes

Other Outcomes (2)

  • adverse events

    28 day

  • the ratio of ceftazidime plasma concentration to the pathogen's minimum inhibitory concentration (C/MIC)

    28 day

Study Arms (2)

Continuos ceftazidime/avibactam infusion

EXPERIMENTAL

Continuous infusion will include a loading dose of 2 g/0.5 g administered over 2 hours, followed by continuous infusion of 6 g/1.5 g over 24 hours, equivalent to 0.25 g of ceftazidime per hour. The drug reconstitution and dilution process are shown in Figure 2. The final volume of a solution of CZA will be 50 mL, which gives the concentration of ceftazidime 40 mg/mL, with a 4:1 concentration ratio for avibactam (10 mg/mL). The solution will be administered via an infusion syringe with an infusion rate of 6.25 mL/h. Dose adjustments will be applied according to renal function, calculated using the Cockroft-Gault formula

Drug: Continuos ceftazidime/avibactam infusion

Intermitent dosing as per SMPC

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Intermittent dosing, as outlined in the SmPC, consists of 2 g/0.5 g administered by prolonged infusion over 2 hours every 8 hours. Dose adjustments will be applied according to renal function, calculated using the Cockroft-Gault formula.

Drug: Intermitent dosing as per SMPC

Interventions

Continuous infusion will include a loading dose of 2 g/0.5 g administered over 2 hours, followed by continuous infusion of 6 g/1.5 g over 24 hours, equivalent to 0.25 g of ceftazidime per hour. The drug reconstitution and dilution process are shown in Figure 2. The final volume of solution of CZA will be 50 mL, which gives concentration of ceftazidime of 40 mg/mL, with 4:1 concentration ratio for avibactam (10 mg/mL). The solution will be administered via an infusion syringe, with an infusion rate of 6.25 mL/h. Dose adjustments will be applied according to renal function, calculated using Cockroft-Gault formula

Continuos ceftazidime/avibactam infusion

Intermittent dosing, as outlined in the SmPC, consists of 2 g/0.5 g administered by prolonged infusion over 2 hours every 8 hours. Dose adjustments will be applied according to renal function, calculated using Cockroft-Gault formula.

Intermitent dosing as per SMPC

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years - 85 Years
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • General
  • Age above or equal to 18 years of age.
  • Able to provide informed consent personally or by his/her next of kin, as requested by the Ethics Committee.
  • Disease-specific
  • Critically ill patients requiring admission to the intensive care unit (medical or surgical).
  • Diagnosed with severe infections.
  • At least one microbiological sample positive for Klebsiella pneumoniae OXA-48 or Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
  • Requiring a prescription for ceftazidime/avibactam, by clinical judgement

You may not qualify if:

  • General
  • Known or suspected hypersensitivity to ceftazidime/avibactam, excipients, or any other cephalosporin antibacterial agent. Severe hypersensitivity (e.g. anaphylactic reaction, severe skin reaction) to any other β-lactam antibacterial agent (e.g. penicillins, monobactams or carbapenems).
  • Withdrawal of informed consent.
  • Age above 85 years of age.
  • Female who is pregnant or breast-feeding.
  • Participation (i.e. signed informed consent) in any other interventional clinical trial of an approved or non-approved antibacterial agent within 30 days before screening.
  • Any disorder which, in the investigator's opinion, might jeopardize the participant's safety or compliance with the protocol.
  • Laboratory values
  • \. Severe neutropenia before or during ceftazidime/avibactam administration.
  • Medical conditions
  • Death within 48 hours following randomization.
  • Concomitant acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.
  • Presence or history of malignant neoplasms or in situ carcinomas.
  • Duration of ceftazidime/avibactam administration is shorter than 72 hours.

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Related Publications (17)

  • Faul F, Erdfelder E, Lang AG, Buchner A. G*Power 3: a flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences. Behav Res Methods. 2007 May;39(2):175-91. doi: 10.3758/bf03193146.

    PMID: 17695343BACKGROUND
  • Servais H, Tulkens PM. Stability and compatibility of ceftazidime administered by continuous infusion to intensive care patients. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2001 Sep;45(9):2643-7. doi: 10.1128/AAC.45.9.2643-2647.2001.

    PMID: 11502544BACKGROUND
  • Gatti M, Pea F. Continuous versus intermittent infusion of antibiotics in Gram-negative multidrug-resistant infections. Curr Opin Infect Dis. 2021 Dec 1;34(6):737-747. doi: 10.1097/QCO.0000000000000755.

    PMID: 34261906BACKGROUND
  • Adembri C, Novelli A, Nobili S. Some Suggestions from PK/PD Principles to Contain Resistance in the Clinical Setting-Focus on ICU Patients and Gram-Negative Strains. Antibiotics (Basel). 2020 Oct 6;9(10):676. doi: 10.3390/antibiotics9100676.

    PMID: 33036190BACKGROUND
  • Lorente L, Jimenez A, Palmero S, Jimenez JJ, Iribarren JL, Santana M, Martin MM, Mora ML. Comparison of clinical cure rates in adults with ventilator-associated pneumonia treated with intravenous ceftazidime administered by continuous or intermittent infusion: a retrospective, nonrandomized, open-label, historical chart review. Clin Ther. 2007 Nov;29(11):2433-9. doi: 10.1016/j.clinthera.2007.11.003.

    PMID: 18158083BACKGROUND
  • Gomez CM, Cordingly JJ, Palazzo MG. Altered pharmacokinetics of ceftazidime in critically ill patients. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1999 Jul;43(7):1798-802. doi: 10.1128/AAC.43.7.1798.

    PMID: 10390248BACKGROUND
  • Muller AE, Punt N, Mouton JW. Optimal exposures of ceftazidime predict the probability of microbiological and clinical outcome in the treatment of nosocomial pneumonia. J Antimicrob Chemother. 2013 Apr;68(4):900-6. doi: 10.1093/jac/dks468. Epub 2012 Nov 28.

    PMID: 23190766BACKGROUND
  • Ali A, Imran M, Sial S, Khan A. Effective antibiotic dosing in the presence of resistant strains. PLoS One. 2022 Oct 10;17(10):e0275762. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0275762. eCollection 2022.

    PMID: 36215219BACKGROUND
  • Ghazi IM, El Nekidy WS. Editorial: Advances in antimicrobial therapy and combating resistance. Front Pharmacol. 2023 Mar 16;14:1170289. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2023.1170289. eCollection 2023. No abstract available.

    PMID: 37007043BACKGROUND
  • Batchelder JI, Hare PJ, Mok WWK. Resistance-resistant antibacterial treatment strategies. Front Antibiot. 2023;2:1093156. doi: 10.3389/frabi.2023.1093156. Epub 2023 Jan 30.

    PMID: 36845830BACKGROUND
  • Poole K. Pseudomonas aeruginosa: resistance to the max. Front Microbiol. 2011 Apr 5;2:65. doi: 10.3389/fmicb.2011.00065. eCollection 2011.

    PMID: 21747788BACKGROUND
  • Bonomo RA, Burd EM, Conly J, Limbago BM, Poirel L, Segre JA, Westblade LF. Carbapenemase-Producing Organisms: A Global Scourge. Clin Infect Dis. 2018 Apr 3;66(8):1290-1297. doi: 10.1093/cid/cix893.

    PMID: 29165604BACKGROUND
  • Chen T, Xu H, Chen Y, Ji J, Ying C, Liu Z, Xu H, Zhou K, Xiao Y, Shen P. Identification and Characterization of OXA-232-Producing Sequence Type 231 Multidrug Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae Strains Causing Bloodstream Infections in China. Microbiol Spectr. 2023 Mar 22;11(2):e0260722. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.02607-22. Online ahead of print.

    PMID: 36946763BACKGROUND
  • Garcia-Gonzalez N, Fuster B, Tormo N, Salvador C, Gimeno C, Gonzalez-Candelas F. Genomic analysis of the initial dissemination of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae clones in a tertiary hospital. Microb Genom. 2023 Jun;9(6):mgen001032. doi: 10.1099/mgen.0.001032.

    PMID: 37272914BACKGROUND
  • Ceron S, Salem-Bango Z, Contreras DA, Ranson EL, Yang S. Clinical and Genomic Characterization of Carbapenem-Resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae with Concurrent Production of NDM and OXA-48-like Carbapenemases in Southern California, 2016-2022. Microorganisms. 2023 Jun 30;11(7):1717. doi: 10.3390/microorganisms11071717.

    PMID: 37512889BACKGROUND
  • European Medicines Agency (EMA). Summary of Product Characteristics - Zavicefta 2 g/ 0.5 g powder for concentrate for solution for infusion. https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/documents/product-information/zavicefta-epar-product-information_en.pdf. (accessed 9.11.2024.)

    BACKGROUND
  • Momcilovic M, Situm I, Erceg A, Siroglavic M, Lovric M, Nizic Nodilo L, Hafner A, Lovric J, Turcic P, Fabijanovic D, Marinic A, Nedeljkovic V, Pasalic M, Percin L, Sipus D, Milicic D, Lovric D. Continuous infusion versus intermittent dosing of ceftazidime/avibactam in critically ill patients with Klebsiella pneumoniae OXA-48 or Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections: a single-center randomized open-label trial (ZAVICONT). Rationale and design. Front Pharmacol. 2025 Aug 7;16:1618987. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2025.1618987. eCollection 2025.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

InfectionsCritical IllnessPseudomonas Infections

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Disease AttributesPathologic ProcessesPathological Conditions, Signs and SymptomsGram-Negative Bacterial InfectionsBacterial InfectionsBacterial Infections and Mycoses

Central Study Contacts

Ivan Šitum, MD

CONTACT

Daniel Lovrić, MD, PhD

CONTACT

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
phase 4
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
DOUBLE
Who Masked
PARTICIPANT, OUTCOMES ASSESSOR
Masking Details
Patients will not be informed of their group assignment to maintain study integrity. We opted for this study design, which is not fully blinded, for several practical and clinical reasons. First, the dosing regimen of the drug is complex. According to the SmPC, ceftazidime/avibactam is administered as a prolonged infusion over 2 hours every 8 hours. In a placebo-controlled design, all patients would require an additional infusion, either placebo or the active drug, following the initial 2-hour infusion. By not including a placebo, the control group will follow the SmPC dosing regimen (2-hour infusions every 8 hours), while the intervention group will receive the drug as a continuous infusion over 24 hours. Second, the study involves administration in cardiac and cardiac surgery intensive care units, where patients are at a more significant risk of volume overload. The study was designed without a placebo-controlled arm to minimise unnecessary fluid administration.
Purpose
TREATMENT
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
SPONSOR INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
subinvestigator

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

January 28, 2025

First Posted

February 6, 2025

Study Start

May 1, 2025

Primary Completion (Estimated)

May 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2027

Last Updated

April 22, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-04

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share