Oral Carbapenems: Promise, Peril, and Pushbacks

Gram-negative bacterial resistance in the U.S. is rising, complicating UTI treatment. Oral carbapenems like tebipenem and sulopenem offer broad-spectrum activity but face FDA hurdles. Tebipenem HBr showed promise in trials but failed FDA's micro-ITT analysis. Sulopenem's trials missed endpoints, delaying its approval. Oral carbapenems could revolutionize UTI management but raise resistance concerns.