Rocephin

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

  1. A powerful broad-spectrum cephalosporin antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections by inhibiting cell wall synthesis ; an injectable medication commonly employed in hospitals for respiratory tract, skin, and urinary tract infections ; a beta-lactam drug administered intravenously or intramuscularly to combat susceptible bacteria and prevent their growth
  2. A third-generation cephalosporin antibacterial agent used to fight various infections by disrupting bacterial cell wall formation ; a prescription injection effective against a range of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria commonly used in clinical settings ; a pharmaceutical used to manage conditions such as pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis through inhibition of bacterial proliferation
  3. An injectable antibiotic belonging to the cephalosporin class that targets and destroys bacteria responsible for infections ; a medication given through muscle or vein to treat serious bacterial illnesses by preventing bacterial cell wall construction ; a widely used antimicrobial drug effective against numerous infections including respiratory, skin, and urinary tract diseases through bactericidal action

Etymology: The name is a blend of two things: "Ro," short for the Swiss drugmaker Hoffmann-La Roche, which marketed it, and "cephin," from "cephalosporin," the antibiotic class it belongs to. Its generic name is ceftriaxone, and the brand name is the one most clinicians and patients have encountered. The class name goes back to a fungus. In 1948, the Sardinian scientist Giuseppe Brotzu isolated a mold from sewage near a Cagliari outfall, and the genus that later gave the class its name was called "Cephalosporium." The Greek roots are "kephalē," meaning "head," and "sporos," meaning "seed" or "spore," a reference to the spore-bearing structures that look like heads on the mold's stalks. Later drugs in the family kept the "cef-" or "ceph-" prefix, which is how a chemist or pharmacist can recognize the class from the name alone.

Synonyms: ceftriaxone