Imipenem

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A broad-spectrum beta-lactam antibiotic used to treat various bacterial infections by inhibiting cell wall synthesis ; a medication effective against many gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria including resistant strains ; a carbapenem class drug administered to combat severe or high-risk bacterial diseases by disrupting bacterial cell growth
2. An antibacterial agent with a wide range of activity targeting diverse bacteria through inhibition of cell wall construction ; a therapeutic compound useful against resistant and difficult infections by blocking bacterial enzyme function ; a potent carbapenem antibiotic prescribed for serious infections caused by susceptible microorganisms by interfering with bacterial replication
3. A versatile antibiotic blocking bacterial cell wall formation to treat infections caused by multiple bacterial types ; a carbapenem drug effective in controlling resistant bacterial pathogens by inhibiting vital enzymes ; a medication employed in clinical settings for severe infections to disrupt bacterial growth and promote recovery

Etymology: Imipenem is a modified form of thienamycin, a compound that Merck researchers isolated in 1976 from the soil bacterium "Streptomyces cattleya." Thienamycin was remarkably potent, but the human kidney broke it down quickly through an enzyme called dehydropeptidase-I. Imipenem was made more stable against that enzyme, and it is now given with cilastatin, which blocks the enzyme, so the drug stays active long enough to work. The name is a chemist's shorthand. "Penem" refers to the fused four- and five-membered ring structure shared with the penicillins, and the "carba" in carbapenem marks that a carbon atom replaces the sulfur found in the penicillin ring. "Imi" most likely refers to the formimidoyl side chain on the molecule, though the exact derivation is not something I can confirm from a standard source.