Meropenem/vaborbactam

Meropenem/vaborbactam, sold under the brand name Vabomere among others, is a combination medication used to treat complicated urinary tract infections, complicated abdominal infections, and hospital-acquired pneumonia.^[1][2][3] It contains meropenem, a beta-lactam antibiotic, and vaborbactam, a beta-lactamase inhibitor.^[3] It is given by injection into a vein.^[3]

Common side effects include headache, inflammation at the site of injection, nausea, diarrhea, liver inflammation, and low blood potassium.^[3] Severe side effects may include anaphylaxis, seizures, and Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea.^[3] It is unclear if use during pregnancy is safe.^[4] Meropenem works by blocking the construction of the bacterial cell wall while vaborbactam blocks the breakdown of meropenem by some beta-lactamases.^[3]

The combination was approved for medical use in the United States in 2017, and in the European Union in 2018.^[3][2] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.^[5]