How to Order Prescriptions

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Description

SIMPLICEF™ (cefpodoxime proxetil) is the first and only once-daily oral cephalosporin that’s FDA approved for veterinary use in the treatment of canine skin infections. It’s designed to be convenient and a good value for your large dog.

Cefpodoxime proxetil is an orally administered, extended spectrum, semi-synthetic cephalosporin antibiotic. The chemical name is: (+/-)-1-Hydroxyethyl(+)-(6R,7R)-7-[2-(2- amino-4-thiazolyl)glyoxylamido]-3-methoxymethyl)-8-oxo-5-thia-1-azabicyclo[4.2.0]oct- 2-ene-2-carboxylate, 72-(Z)-(O-methyloxime), isopropyl carbonate (ester) [87239-81-4].

Cefpodoxime proxetil is a prodrug; its active metabolite is cefpodoxime. All doses of SIMPLICEF (cefpodoxime proxetil) tablets are expressed in terms of the active cefpodoxime moiety. SIMPLICEF is available as:
100 mg Tablet, each reddish-orange, elliptical, scored tablet contains cefpodoxime proxetil equivalent to 100 mg of cefpodoxime. 200 mg Tablet, each light orange, elliptical tablet contains cefpodoxime proxetil equivalent to 200 mg of cefpodoxime.

Animal safety studies: well tolerated at up to 40x normal daily oral dose. In animal safety studies, SIMPLICEF™ (cefpodoxime proxetil) was well tolerated at up to 40x the normal daily oral dose for 13 weeks in adult dogs and 28 days in puppies (18-23 days of age). Safety has been demonstrated in dogs for up to six months of daily therapy.

Uses and Benefits

• Ease of dosing
• No more multiple capsules multiple times a day
• Many large dogs can be treated with just one tablet
• Film-coated tablets for easier administration
• Doses can be given with or without food
• 100 mg scored tablets for greater flexibility 
• 200 mg tablets
• Available in bottles of 100.

Contraindications and Warnings

• 118 dogs of various breeds and all ages were included in this field study safety analysis.
• SIMPLICEF™ (cefpodoxime proxetil) should not be used in dogs that are hypersensitive to penicillin or cephalosporin. 
• Safety in pregnant and lactating animals or breeding male dogs has not been established.

Caution

Federal (USA) law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian.

Indication

SIMPLICEF tablets are indicated for the treatment of skin infections (wounds and abscesses) in dogs caused by susceptible strains of Staphylococcus intermedius, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus canis (group G, ß hemolytic), Escherichia coli, Pasteurella multocida, and Proteus mirabilis.

Dosage and Administration

Dose range

The dose range of SIMPLICEF (cefpodoxime proxetil) tablets is 5-10 mg/kg (2.3-4.5 mg/lb) body weight, administered orally, once a day. The dose may be given with or without food. The determination of dosage for any particular patient must take into consideration such factors as the severity and nature of the infection, the susceptibility of the causative organisms, and the integrity of the patient’s host-defense mechanisms. Obtain a sample of the pathogenic organism for culture and sensitivity testing prior to beginning antimicrobial therapy. Once results become available, continue with appropriate therapy.

Duration

SIMPLICEF tablets should be administered once daily for 5-7 days or for 2-3 days beyond the cessation of clinical signs, up to a maximum of 28 days. Treatment of acute infections should not be continued for more than 3-4 days if no response to therapy is seen.

Contraindications

Cefpodoxime proxetil is contraindicated in dogs with known allergy to cefpodoxime or to the ß-lactam (penicillins and cephalosporins) group of antibiotics.

Warnings

Not for human use. Keep this and all drugs out of reach of children. Antimicrobial drugs, including penicillins and cephalosporins, can cause allergic reactions in sensitized individuals. To minimize the possibility of allergic reactions, those handling such antimicrobials, including cefpodoxime, are advised to avoid direct contact of the product with the skin and mucous membranes.

Precautions

The safety of cefpodoxime proxetil in dogs used for breeding, pregnant dogs, or lactating bitches has not been demonstrated. As with other cephalosporins, cefpodoxime proxetil may occasionally induce a positive direct Coombs’ test.

Adverse Reactions

A total of 216 dogs of various breeds and ages ranging from 2 months to 15 years were included in the field study safety analysis. The following table shows the number of dogs displaying each clinical observation.

• ¹ Dogs may have experienced more than one of the observations during the study.
• To report a suspected adverse reaction call 1-800-366-5288.
• To request a material safety data sheet (MSDS) for SIMPLICEF tablets, call 1-800-733-5500.
  

Clinical Pharmacology

Pharmacokinetics/Pharmacodynamics: Cefpodoxime proxetil is a prodrug that is absorbed from and de-esterified in the gastrointestinal tract to its active metabolite, cefpodoxime. Following oral administration to fasting Beagles, oral bioavailability was 63.1 ± 5.3%.

Cefpodoxime is distributed in the body with an apparent volume of distribution of 151 ± 27 mL/kg. Like other ß-lactam antibiotics, cefpodoxime is eliminated from the body primarily in the urine, with an apparent elimination half-life of approximately 5-6 hours after oral administration. This is similar to the 4.7 hour apparent elimination half-life observed after intravenous dosing. Following intravenous administration of 10 mg/kg, the average total body clearance (ClB) was 22.7 ± 4.19 mL/hr/kg.

Microbiology: Like other ß-lactam antibiotics, cefpodoxime exerts its inhibitory effect by interfering with bacterial cell wall synthesis. This interference is primarily due to its covalently binding to the penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) (i.e. transpeptidase and/or carboxypeptidase), which are essential for synthesis of the
bacterial cell wall. Therefore, cefpodoxime is bactericidal. Cefpodoxime is stable in the presence of many common ß-lactamase enzymes. As a result, many organisms resistant to other ß-lactam antibiotics (penicillins and some cephalosporins) due to the production of ß-lactamases may be susceptible to cefpodoxime.

Cefpodoxime has a broad spectrum of clinically useful antibacterial activity that includes staphylococci, streptococci, and Gram-negative species (including Pasteurella, Escherichia, and Proteus). The compound is not active against most obligate anaerobes, Pseudomonas spp., or enterococci. The minimum inhibitory
concentrations (MICs) for cefpodoxime against Gram-positive and Gram-negative pathogens isolated from canine skin infections (wounds and abscesses) in a 2002 U.S. field study are presented in Table 5. All MICs were determined in accordance with the National Committee for Clinical Laboratory Standards (NCCLS). Appropriate quality control (QC) ranges for in vitro susceptibility testing are presented in Table 6.

Effectiveness

The clinical effectiveness of SIMPLICEF (cefpodoxime proxetil) was established in a multi-location (23 site) field study. In this study, 216 dogs with infected wounds or abscesses were treated with either SIMPLICEF (n=118) once daily at 5 mg/kg (2.3 mg/lb) body weight or with an active control antibiotic (n=98) administered twice daily for 5-7 days. In this study, SIMPLICEF was considered noninferior to the active control (88.7% versus 88.4% respectfully) in the treatment of canine skin infections (wounds and abscesses) caused by susceptible strains of Staphylococcus intermedius, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus canis (group G, ß hemolytic), Escherichia coli, Pasteurella multocida, and Proteus mirabilis.

Animal Safety

In target animal safety studies, cefpodoxime was well tolerated at exaggerated daily oral doses of 100 mg/kg/day (10 times the maximum label dose) for 13 weeks in adult dogs and for 28 days in puppies (18-23 days of age). Therefore, once daily administration of cefpodoxime oral tablets at the maximum labeled dose of 10 mg/kg for up to 28 days was shown to be safe in adult dogs and puppies.
Blood dyscrasia including neutropenias, may be seen following high doses of cephalosporins. Cephalosporin administration should be discontinued in such cases.

Storage Information

Store tablets at controlled room temperature 20° to 25°C (68° to 77°F). Replace cap securely after each opening.