Recarbrio — Compare Prices at US & Canada Pharmacies

Recarbrio combines imipenem-cilastatin — the established carbapenem — with relebactam, a newer beta-lactamase inhibitor that blocks resistance enzymes many carbapenem-resistant bacteria use to inactivate imipenem on its own. That third ingredient is what makes Recarbrio clinically distinct from plain imipenem-cilastatin: it restores activity against a meaningful share of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa strains that would otherwise defeat standard carbapenems, which is why it's approved specifically for hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia, and for complicated urinary tract and intra-abdominal infections in patients who have limited or no other treatment options — the FDA label is explicit that the latter two indications rest on limited clinical data, reflecting how these approvals work for drugs targeting hard-to-study resistant infections.

Because it's built on imipenem-cilastatin, Recarbrio carries that drug's seizure risk, and the interaction profile is essentially the same: ganciclovir combined with imipenem-cilastatin has been associated with generalized seizures, so the two are avoided together unless the benefit clearly outweighs the risk, and valproic acid or divalproex sodium levels can be significantly reduced by the carbapenem component, potentially breaking seizure control in patients relying on valproate.

As a genuinely novel combination targeting some of the most resistant Gram-negative infections in modern medicine, Recarbrio sits squarely in WHO's Reserve AWaRe category — it's meant to be used only when resistance patterns or prior treatment failure justify it, both to preserve its usefulness and because its cost and narrow, resistance-focused role make it inappropriate for infections that would respond to more standard therapy.

Contraindications

4 CONTRAINDICATIONS RECARBRIO is contraindicated in patients with a history of known severe hypersensitivity (severe systemic allergic reaction such as anaphylaxis) to any component of RECARBRIO. RECARBRIO is contraindicated in patients with a history of known severe hypersensitivity to any component of RECARBRIO. ( 4 )

Pregnancy & breastfeeding

8.1 Pregnancy Risk Summary Embryonic loss was observed in monkeys treated with imipenem/cilastatin, and fetal abnormalities were observed in relebactam-treated mice; therefore, advise pregnant women of the potential risks to pregnancy and the fetus. There are insufficient human data to establish whether there is a drug-associated risk for major birth defects, miscarriage, or adverse maternal or fetal outcomes with RECARBRIO, imipenem, cilastatin, or relebactam in pregnant women.