Ertapenem infusion beneficial in hidradenitis suppurativa

Treatment with intravenous ertapenem yields improvements in the clinical and inflammatory markers of hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), according to a retrospective study.

The study included 98 patients (mean age 35.8 years, 62.2 percent women, 60.2 percent Black/African American) with HS that had been treated with 1 g of ertapenem, which was self-administered at home via a peripheral intravenous central catheter using an elastomeric pump, for 12–16 weeks. Antiandrogens and immunomodulatory biologic therapies initiated prior to ertapenem were maintained throughout the treatment course.

Researchers reviewed the patients’ medical records and evaluated patient outcomes before, during, at the end of, and after the therapy. These outcomes included clinical severity (evaluated through the HS Physician Global Assessment score [a 6-point scale ranging from clear to very severe] and a numerical rating scale for pain [an 11-point scale in which a score of 0 indicates no pain and a score of 10 indicates the worst possible pain]) and markers of inflammation (eg, leukocytes, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, and interleukin-6). Patients were invited to complete a telephone survey during follow-up wherein their perspectives about and satisfaction with therapy were assessed.

Treatment lasted a mean of 13.1 weeks, with post-therapy follow-up occurring after 7.8 weeks. Therapy was associated with significant reductions in the mean HS Physician Global Assessment scores (from 3.9 at baseline to 2.7 after therapy; p<0.001) and the numerical rating scale for pain (from 4.2 to 1.8; p<0.001), C-reactive protein (from 5.4 to 2.4 mg/dL; p<0.001), interleukin-6 (from 25.2 to 13.7; p<0.001), and leukocytes (from 11.34 to 10.0; p<0.001).

A total of 78.0 percent of patients participated in the telephone survey, of which 80.3 percent reported medium to high satisfaction and 90.8 percent said they would recommend ertapenem to other patients.

Despite the positive data, patients who receive intravenous ertapenem should be monitored for the emergence of antimicrobial resistance given a longer than standard treatment course.