The oral penems and carbapenems

The penem and carbapenem antibiotics provide some of the broadest spectrum coverage available and generally should only be used when narrower options are unavailable. The majority of available carbapenems can only be administered parenterally, but two orally administered penems (faropenem and sulopenem) and one orally administered carbapenem (tebipenem) are in increased use due to approvals in new markets. These oral agents have a spectrum of activity similar to widely used parenteral carbapenems but are simpler to administer than intravenous agents and will likely experience rapid increases in their rates of use as they are approved in new markets. In this review, we discuss their spectra of activity, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, clinical efficacy, toxicity, antimicrobial stewardship considerations, and potential clinical applications.