September’s first networking meeting took place at Nino’s Restaurant. President, Dr. Yi Guo, welcomed members to the event and thanked Merck for sponsoring the exhibit prior to the event. The guest speaker was Alan Bulbin, MD, Chief of Infectious Disease at St. Francis Medical Center, Roslyn, NY.

Dr. Bulbin’s presentation was titled, “Treating Complicated UTI and Intra-abdominal Infections Caused by Gram-negative Pathogens”

A combination antibacterial drug, Zerbaxa (ceftolozane/tazobactam) was FDA approved last year for the treatment of complicated urinary tract infection (cUTI) and complicated intra-abdominal infection (cIAI) in adults 18 years and older. Two non-inferior double blind trials were conducted to assess the efficacy and safety profile of Zerbaxa in comparison to other antibiotics used today. In the cUTI trial, Zerbaxa was compared to levofloxacin and in the cIAI trial, Zerbaxa was added on to either metronidazole or meropenem.

At the conclusion of the presentation, members surprised President, Dr. Yi Guo, by celebrating her birthday! Thank you for all of your great work, Yi!! Synopses by Gretchen Marcelino, edited by Jamie Chin

Photos by Gretchen Marcelino and Cathy Hwang