amikacin vs ceftolozane/tazobactam
Side-by-side comparison of amikacin and ceftolozane/tazobactam Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
Amikin
Zerbaxa
Amikacin is an antibiotic medicine. It fights serious infections caused by certain types of bacteria.
Zerbaxa is a combination of two antibiotics, ceftolozane and tazobactam. It fights bacterial infections in your body.
Amikacin treats serious infections caused by bacteria. This includes infections in the blood, lungs, bones, joints, brain, skin, and abdomen. It can also treat burns, post-surgery infections, and complicated urinary tract infections.
Zerbaxa treats complicated infections in the stomach area and urinary tract. This includes kidney infections. It also treats pneumonia that you get while in the hospital or from being on a ventilator. Zerbaxa should only be used to treat infections that are proven or strongly suspected to be caused by bacteria.
Amikacin belongs to a class of drugs called aminoglycosides. It works by stopping the growth of bacteria. This helps your body fight off the infection.
Ceftolozane kills bacteria by stopping them from building cell walls. Tazobactam helps ceftolozane work better by blocking the bacteria's defense mechanisms. This allows ceftolozane to effectively kill the bacteria.
No common side effects listed.
- • Nausea
- • Diarrhea
- • Headache
- • Fever
- • Increased liver enzymes
- Off Label Use 1,908
- Drug Ineffective 1,673
- Cough 1,620
- Dyspnoea 1,556
- Hospitalisation 1,360
- Off Label Use 138
- Product Use In Unapproved Indication 126
- No Adverse Event 88
- Death 81
- Product Use Issue 67
Amikacin can potentially cause hearing loss and kidney damage. Tell your doctor if you have kidney problems or are taking other medicines that can affect your hearing or kidneys. Your doctor should closely monitor you for hearing and kidney problems during treatment. This drug can also cause muscle weakness or breathing problems, especially if you are also taking anesthesia or certain muscle relaxants.
Zerbaxa may not work as well if your kidneys aren't working well. Your doctor should check your kidney function daily and adjust your dose if needed. Zerbaxa can also cause severe allergic reactions. Tell your doctor if you are allergic to any beta-lactam antibiotics. Diarrhea can occur with Zerbaxa, even months after you stop taking it. Tell your doctor right away if you have diarrhea.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Amikacin may harm your unborn baby. It is not known if amikacin passes into breast milk.
It is not known if Zerbaxa will harm an unborn baby. Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding.
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How to Read This amikacin vs ceftolozane/tazobactam Comparison
amikacin is classified in the Aminoglycoside Antibiotic drug class, while ceftolozane/tazobactam sits within the Cephalosporin / Beta-Lactamase Inhibitor class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, amikacin has 8,117 submissions while ceftolozane/tazobactam has 500. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume — not per-patient risk — so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. No direct interaction between these two drugs is listed in our FDA-derived dataset, though co-prescription still warrants pharmacist review. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between amikacin and ceftolozane/tazobactam — always consult your physician or pharmacist first.
Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.