Ceftazidime Is Not Available in Oral Form
Ceftazidime is only available for parenteral administration (intravenous or intramuscular routes) and does not come in pill, tablet, or capsule formulations. 1, 2
Available Routes of Administration
- Ceftazidime is administered intravenously (IV) or intramuscularly (IM) as the only FDA-approved routes of delivery 1, 3
- One case report describes off-label subcutaneous administration in a 90-year-old patient when other routes were not feasible, though this is not a standard or approved route 2
Why No Oral Formulation Exists
- As a third-generation cephalosporin with a beta-lactam structure, ceftazidime has poor oral bioavailability and would be destroyed by gastric acid and not adequately absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract 1
- The drug requires parenteral administration to achieve therapeutic serum and tissue concentrations necessary for treating serious Gram-negative infections, particularly Pseudomonas aeruginosa 1, 3
Clinical Context from the Evidence
- Multiple studies comparing ceftazidime to other agents consistently describe it as "intravenously administered ceftazidime" or "intravenous/intramuscular" formulations, with no mention of oral options 4, 5
- When oral therapy is desired for step-down treatment, clinicians must switch to a different antibiotic with oral bioavailability (such as ciprofloxacin or oral cephalosporins like cefixime), rather than continuing ceftazidime 4, 5
Oral Alternatives for Similar Coverage
- For infections requiring transition from IV to oral therapy, fluoroquinolones (e.g., ciprofloxacin) or oral third-generation cephalosporins (e.g., cefixime, cefpodoxime) are used instead of ceftazidime 6, 4, 5
- In pediatric urinary tract infections, oral options include cefixime (8 mg/kg/day) or cephalexin (50-100 mg/kg/day divided into 4 doses) when stepping down from parenteral therapy 6