Pharmacist Medication Insights: Bezlotoxumab for Clostridium Difficile Infection

Author(s):

Saro Arakelians, PharmD

Bezlotoxumab is administered to prevent Clostridium difficile infection from recurring in patients who are receiving treatment for the infection and are at risk for recurrence.

Bezlotoxumab (Zinplava) was approved in October 2016 by the FDA to reduce recurrence of Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) in patients 18 years of age or older receiving antibacterial drug treatment for CDI. The human monoclonal antibody binds to Clostridium difficile toxin B and is given in a single 10-mg/kg dose administered via intravenous infusion over 60 minutes.

Patients who are candidates for the antibacterial drug treatment for CDI have 1 or more of the following risk factors:

History of CDI in the previous 6 months
Patients ≥ 65 years of age
Patients who are immunocompromised
Severe CDI (Zar score ≥ 2)