Clinical use of the new beta-lactam antimicrobial drugs. Practical considerations for physicians, microbiology laboratories, pharmacists, and formulary committees.

New beta-lactam antimicrobial agents with extended antibacterial activity for gram-negative bacilli are being developed and marketed. These drugs provide major advances, especially for treatment of serious infections caused by multiresistant organisms. Several of the drugs have been marketed and many more will be available. Some of these drugs are considerably more costly than the older beta-lactams. The large number of new antimicrobial drugs coupled with their high costs pose complex problems for physicians, microbiology laboratories, and pharmacists. Community hospitals, large general hospitals, and tertiary care hospitals have different needs for patient care and will need different formats for unbiased education, susceptibility testing, pharmacy stocking, and controlling or monitoring for inappropriate use.