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Piperacillin-tazobactam and Temocillin as Carbapenem-alternatives for the Treatment of Severe Infections Due to Extended-spectrum Beta-lactamase-Producing Gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae in the Intensive Care Unit

Piperacillin-tazobactam and Temocillin as Carbapenem-alternatives for the Treatment of Severe Infections Due to Extended-spectrum Beta-lactamase-Producing Gram-negative Enterobacteriaceae in the Intensive Care Unit

Status
Recruiting
Phases
Phase 3
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05565222
Acronym
PITAGORE
Enrollment
600
Registered
2022-10-04
Start date
2023-03-11
Completion date
2026-06-30
Last updated
2023-04-18

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Sepsis, Septic Shock

Keywords

carbapenem-alternatives, severe infections

Brief summary

Infections due to extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Enterobacteriaceae are a major public health concern, in particular in the intensive care unit (ICU), due to the increase in their incidence. Carbapenems are the treatment of choice of these infections, but their increased use may select for carbapenem resistance in Gram-negative bacilli, which currently represents the greatest threat in terms of antibiotic resistance. Several retrospective studies have shown that the use of non-carbapenem antibiotics (mainly the association of piperacillin/tazobactam, but also cefepime and temocillin) may be safe alternatives to carbapenems to treat these pathogens when the strain is susceptible to the corresponding antibiotic. However, one recent randomized controlled study, the Merino trial, failed to demonstrate the non-inferiority of piperacillin/tazobactam, as compared to meropenem, in patients with Gram-negative bacilli bacteremia resistant to third generation cephalosporins (mainly ESBL producers). However, the patients included in that study were not ICU patients, dosing and modalities of piperacillin/tazobactam administration were not optimal (30-min infusion whereas 4-hours infusion may be associated with better outcome), and cause of death of patients in the piperacillin/tazobactam arm were not due to antimicrobial treatment failure (mostly death due to care withdrawal in cancer patients). Recently, a retrospective bicenter study performed in ICU patients showed that outcome of patients with severe infection (i.e. sepsis and septic shock according to the Sepsis-3 definition) due to ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae susceptible to non-carbapenem agents treated with a non-carbapenem agent was similar to that of patients treated with carbapenems. Given the scarcity of data in ICU patients, the disputable results of the Merino trial, we will therefore conduct a multicenter, randomized, open-label trial of non-carbapenem beta-lactam (piperacillin/tazobactam or temocillin) treatment vs. meropenem treatment for ESBL-producing Enterobaceriaceae severe infection in ICU patients. Our hypothesis is that a non-carbapenem beta-lactam treatment is non-inferior to carbapenem treatment in patients with ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae severe infection in the ICU.

Interventions

DRUGPiperacillin/tazobactam or temocillin

Piperacillin/tazobactam : 4.5 g by intravenous route every 6 hours (adjusted in case of renal failure). Temocillin : 6g/24 hours infused continuously by intravenous route after 2 g loading dose (adjusted in case of renal failure)

DRUGMeropenem

2 g every 8 hours by intravenous route (adjusted in case of renal failure)

Sponsors

Assistance Publique - Hôpitaux de Paris
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Patients ≥ 18-year-old * Hospitalized in the ICU * Severe infection, eg sepsis or septic shock (according to the Sepsis-3 definition) Sepsis is defined as life-threatening organ dysfunction caused by a dysregulated host response to infection, characterized by an increase of Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score of 2 points or more. This increase in 2 points will be calculated the day infection is diagnosed (day of positive culture serving as reference for the infection) as compared to the day before infection onset. Septic shock is defined as sepsis and persisting hypotension requiring vasopressors to maintain mean arterial pressure ≥65 mmHg and having a serum lactate level \>2 mmol/l despite adequate volume resuscitation. This criterion (sepsis or septic shock) has to be fulfilled within a time frame of +/- 24 hours from the day of infection diagnosis (i.e. the day of positive bacteriological sample). * Pathogen responsible for infection is an ESBL-producing Enterobacteriaceae susceptible to meropenem and either to piperacillin/tazobactam (minimum inhibitory concentration \<8 mg/L) or to temocillin (minimum inhibitory concentration ≤8 mg/L) * Signed Informed consent from patient/a legal representative/a family member/a close relative. According to the specifications of emergency inclusion, randomization without the close relative or surrogate consent could be performed if the patient is unable to give his/her consent and when the legal representative/family member or close relative are absent except patients included in another study for which emergency inclusion has already been used (see

Exclusion criteria

n° 8). For these patients, emergency inclusion cannot be used). Close relative/surrogate/family consent will be asked as soon as possible. The patient will be asked to give his/her consent for the continuation of the trial when his/her condition will allow * Affiliation to social security (AME excluded)

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frame
MortalityDay 30

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Relapses rates of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase infectionDay 30
Clinical failure rateDay 30relapse of ESBL infection or death
Rate of antibiotic allergyDay 30
Incidence of adverse drug reactionsBetween randomization and Day 90
Duration of hospitalization stayBetween randomization and Day 90
Duration of ICU stayBetween randomization and Day 90
MortalityDay 90
Days with organ failure asessed by sequential organ failure assessmentBetween randomization and Day 30
Rate of faecal colonization with carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacilliEnd of treatment, ICU discharge and day 90
Rate of secondary nosocomial infectionDay 90
Rate of Clostridium difficile infectionDay 90
Proportion of patients in whom duration of antimicrobial treatment of the index episode has been exceeded compared to the recommended durationThrough completion of study treatment, an average of 10 days and up to 21 days
Proportion of patients who change their treatment before the recommended duration without relapseThrough completion of study treatment, an average of 10 days and up to 21 days= cross-over
Number of days alive without antibioticsBetween randomization and Day 30

Countries

France

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026