Cefotetan Disodium: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Cefotetan Disodium is a cephalosporin antibacterial sold in the U.S. under 3 brand and generic names, for abscess, bacteroides infections and human bites. 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
- Abscess, Bacteroides Infections and Human Bites
- Available as
- Injectable
- Sold as
- 3 products — Cefotan, Cefotan in Plastic Container and Cefotetan and Dextrose in Duplex Container
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
How cefotetan disodium is dosed
From the FDA label for Cefotan (application NDA050588). Other cefotetan disodium products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Treatment The usual adult dosage is 1 gram (g) or 2 grams of CEFOTAN® (Cefotetan for Injection, USP) administered intravenously or intramuscularly. Proper dosage and route of administration should be determined by the condition of the patient, severity of the infection, and susceptibility of the causative organism. General Guidelines for Dosage of CEFOTAN ® (Cefotetan for Injection, USP) Type of Infection Daily Dose Frequency and Route Urinary Tract 1 g to 4 g 500 mg every 12 hours intravenous or intramuscular 1 or 2 g every 24 hours intravenous or intramuscular 1 or 2 g every 12 hours intravenous or intramuscular Skin & Skin Structure Mild - Moderate a 2 g 2 g every 24 hours intravenous 1 g every 12 hours intravenous or intramuscular Severe 4 g 2 g every 12 hours intravenous Other Sites 2 g to 4 g 1 g or 2 g every 12 hours intravenous or intramuscular Severe 4 g 2 g every 12 hours intravenous Life-Threatening 6 g b 3 g every 12 hours intravenous General Guidelines for Dosage of CEFOTAN ® (Cefotetan for Injection, USP) Type of Infection Daily Dose Frequency and Route Urinary Tract 1 to 4 grams 500 mg every 12 hours IV or IM 1 or 2 g every 24 hours IV or IM 1 or 2 g every 12 hours IV or IM Skin & Skin Structure Mild - Moderate a Severe 2 grams 2 g every 24 hours IV 1 g every 12 hours IV or IM 4 grams 2 g every 12 hours IV Other Sites 2 to 4 grams 1 or 2 g every 12 hours IV or…
Cefotetan Disodium side effects
In clinical studies, the following adverse effects were considered related to CEFOTAN therapy. Those appearing in italics have been reported during postmarketing experience. Gastrointestinal: symptoms occurred in 1.5% of patients, the most frequent were diarrhea (1 in 80) and nausea (1 in 700); pseudomembranous colitis . Onset of pseudomembranous colitis symptoms may occur during or after antibiotic treatment or surgical prophylaxis (see WARNINGS ). Hematologic: laboratory abnormalities occurred in 1.4% of patients and included eosinophilia (1 in 200), positive direct Coombs test (1 in 250), and thrombocytosis (1 in 300); agranulocytosis, hemolytic anemia, leukopenia, thrombocytopenia, and prolonged prothrombin time with or without bleeding . Hepatic: enzyme elevations occurred in 1.2% of patients and included a rise in ALT (SGPT) (1 in 150), AST (SGOT) (1 in 300), alkaline phosphatase (1 in 700), and LDH (1 in 700). Hypersensitivity: reactions were reported in 1.2% of patients and included rash (1 in 150) and itching (1 in 700); anaphylactic reactions and urticaria . Local: effects were reported in less than 1% of patients and included phlebitis at the site of injection (1 in 300), and discomfort (1 in 500). Renal: Elevations in BUN and serum creatinine have been reported . Urogenital: Nephrotoxicity has rarely been reported . Miscellaneous: Fever In addition to the adverse…
Who shouldn’t take cefotetan disodium
CEFOTAN® is contraindicated in patients with a known allergy to the cephalosporin group of antibiotics and in those individuals who have experienced a cephalosporin associated hemolytic anemia.
Every cefotetan disodium product we track (3)
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 | 70/100 | Prescription | Injectable | No data | — | View → | |
| 2 | 70/100 | Prescription | Injectable | No data | — | View → | |
| 3 | Not yet rated | Prescription | Injectable | No data | — | View → |
What people report to the FDA about cefotetan disodium
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 11 reports naming cefotetan disodium, and the FDA flagged 82% 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:
- dyspnoea3 reports
- abdominal pain2 reports
- respiratory failure2 reports
- activated partial thromboplastin time prolonged1 reports
- anaemia haemolytic autoimmune1 reports
- anaphylactic reaction1 reports
- anaphylactic shock1 reports
- anterior capsular rupture1 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean cefotetan disodium 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 cefotetan disodium?
Cefotan (Cefotetan Disodium) is a cephalosporin antibacterial used to treat Abscess, Bacteroides Infections, Human Bites, Infectious Bone Diseases.
What kind of drug is cefotetan disodium?
The FDA classifies cefotetan disodium 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 cefotetan disodium 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 cefotetan disodium 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 cefotetan disodium sold under?
We track 3 cefotetan disodium-containing products in the U.S.: Cefotan, Cefotan in Plastic Container and Cefotetan and Dextrose in Duplex Container. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does cefotetan disodium come in?
Across the brands we track, cefotetan disodium 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 cefotetan disodium?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled cefotetan disodium product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Cefotetan Disodium: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/cefotetan-disodium
- MLA
- “Cefotetan Disodium: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/cefotetan-disodium.
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 cefotetan disodium on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.