Cefepime: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Cefepime is a cephalosporin antibacterial sold in the U.S. under 2 brand and generic names, for acinetobacter infections, bacteroides infections and infectious bone diseases. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Cephalosporin Antibacterial
- Treats
- Acinetobacter Infections, Bacteroides Infections and Infectious Bone Diseases
- Available as
- Injectable
- Sold as
- 2 products — Maxipime and Cefepime Hydrochloride
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $112 for a 30-count supply — not your price
How cefepime is dosed
From the FDA label for Cefepime Hydrochloride (application ANDA203704). Other cefepime products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
§ For Pseudomonas aeruginosa , use 2 g IV every 8 hours. ( 2.1 ) *Or until resolution of neutropenia. ( 2.1 ) **Intramuscular route of administration is indicated only for mild to moderate, uncomplicated or complicated UTIs due to E. coli . ( 2.1 ) Recommended Dosage in Adults with Creatinine Clearance (CrCL) Greater Than 60 mL/min ( 2.1 ) Site and Type of Infection Dose Frequency Duration (days) Moderate to Severe Pneumonia § 1-2 g IV Every 8-12 hours 10 Empiric Therapy for Febrile Neutropenic Patients 2 g IV Every 8 hours 7* Mild to Moderate Uncomplicated or Complicated Urinary Tract Infections 0.5-1 g IV/IM** Every 12 hours 7-10 Severe Uncomplicated or Complicated Urinary Tract Infections 2 g IV Every 12 hours 10 Moderate to Severe Uncomplicated Skin and Skin Structure Infections 2 g IV Every 12 hours 10 Complicated Intra-abdominal Infections § (used in combination with metronidazole) 2 g IV Every 12 hours 7-10 Pediatric Patients (2 months to 16 years) Recommended dosage in pediatric with CrCL greater than 60 mL/min. ( 2.2 ) • The usual recommended dosage in pediatric patients is 50 mg per kg per dose administered every 12 hours (every 8 hours for febrile neutropenia). ( 2.2 ) • Patients with Renal Impairment: Adjust dose in patients with CrCL less than or equal to 60 mL/min. ( 2.3 ) 2.1 Dosage for Adults The recommended adult dosages and routes of administration are…
Cefepime side effects
The following adverse reactions are discussed in the Warnings and Precautions section and below: • Hypersensitivity Reactions [ see Warnings and Precautions (5.1) ] • Neurotoxicity [ see Warnings and Precautions (5.2) ] • Clostridioides difficile -Associated Diarrhea [ see Warnings and Precautions (5.3) ] •The most common adverse reactions (incidence ≥ 1%) were local reactions, positive Coombs’ test, decreased phosphorous, increased ALT and AST, increased PT and PTT and rash. ( 6.1 ) •At the highest dose (2 g every 8 hours), incidence of adverse reactions was ≥1% for rash, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, pruritis, fever, and headache. ( 6.1 ) To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Apotex Corp. at 1-800-706-5575, or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch . 6.1 Clinical Trials Experience Because clinical trials are conducted under widely varying conditions, adverse reaction rates observed in clinical trials of a drug cannot be directly compared to rates in the clinical trials of another drug and may not reflect the rates observed in practice. In clinical trials using multiple doses of cefepime, 4137 patients were treated with the recommended dosages of cefepime (500 mg to 2 g intravenous every 12 hours). There were no deaths or permanent disabilities thought related to drug toxicity. Sixty-four (1.5%) patients discontinued medication due to adverse reactions.…
Who shouldn’t take cefepime
Cefepime for Injection is contraindicated in patients who have shown immediate hypersensitivity reactions to cefepime or the cephalosporin class of antibacterial drugs, penicillins or other beta-lactam antibacterial drugs. Patients with known immediate hypersensitivity reactions to cefepime or other cephalosporins, penicillins or other beta-lactam antibacterial drugs. ( 4 )
Cefepime drug interactions
Aminoglycosides: increased potential of nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity. Monitor renal function. ( 7.2 ) • Diuretics: nephrotoxicity has been reported following concomitant administration of other cephalosporins with potent diuretics such as furosemide. Monitor renal function. ( 7.3 ) 7.1 Drug/Laboratory Test Interactions The administration of cefepime may result in a false-positive reaction for glucose in the urine with certain methods. It is recommended that glucose tests based on enzymatic glucose oxidase reactions be used. 7.2 Aminoglycosides Monitor renal function if aminoglycosides are to be administered with Cefepime for Injection because of the increased potential of nephrotoxicity and ototoxicity of aminoglycoside antibacterial drugs. 7.3 Diuretics Nephrotoxicity has been reported following concomitant administration of other cephalosporins with potent diuretics such as furosemide. Monitor renal function when cefepime is concomitantly administered with potent diuretics.
Every cefepime product we track (2)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 60/100 | Prescription | Injectable | Generic | $112 | View → | |
| 2 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Injectable | Generic | $112 | View → |
Combination products containing cefepime
A combination is a different drug — different dosing, different warnings. It is listed here so you can find it, not so you can substitute it.
How long cefepime keeps
The date on a sealed pack is not the only one: some cefepime labels start a second clock once the product is opened or mixed, as short as 4 hours.
Does cefepime expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsCefepime and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for cefepime: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadAlthough no published information is available on the use of cefepime during breastfeeding, the levels in breastmilk appear to be low and cephalosporins are generally not expected to cause serious adverse effects in breastfed infants. No human information is available on zidebactam (a component of Zaynich) in breastmilk. Occasional disruption of the infant's gastrointestinal flora, resulting in diarrhea or thrush, has been reported with beta-lactam antibiotics, but these effects have not been adequately evaluated. Cefepime is acceptable in nursing mothers. The combination of cefepime and zidebactam has not been studied in humans during breastfeeding, but the adverse effects are probably similar to those of cefepime.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised July 15, 2026. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about cefepime
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 1,825 reports naming cefepime, and the FDA flagged 94% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- pyrexia187 reports
- febrile neutropenia185 reports
- pneumonia135 reports
- acute kidney injury103 reports
- platelet count decreased85 reports
- anaemia78 reports
- neutropenia75 reports
- neutrophil count decreased75 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean cefepime caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved July 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is cefepime?
Cefepime Hydrochloride is a cephalosporin antibacterial used to treat Acinetobacter Infections, Bacteroides Infections, Infectious Bone Diseases, Escherichia Coli Infections.
What kind of drug is cefepime?
The FDA classifies cefepime as a cephalosporin antibacterial. Cephalosporins kill bacteria by blocking the proteins they use to build their cell walls. Without an intact wall, the bacterium cannot hold its shape and dies, which clears the infection. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take cefepime with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run cefepime against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is cefepime sold under?
We track 2 cefepime-containing products in the U.S.: Maxipime and Cefepime Hydrochloride. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does cefepime come in?
Across the brands we track, cefepime is currently marketed as injectable, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic cefepime?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic cefepime product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Cefepime: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/cefepime
- MLA
- “Cefepime: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/cefepime.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for cefepime on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.