Zinnat Dosage/Direction for Use

The usual course of therapy is seven days (range 5 to 10 days). Cefuroxime (as axetil) (Zinnat) should be taken after food for optimum absorption.
Adults: See Table 2.

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Sequential therapy: Tablet: Pneumonia: 1.5 g cefuroxime sodium (Zinacef) three times a day or twice a day (i.v. or i.m.) for 48 to 72 hours, followed by 500 mg twice a day cefuroxime axetil (Zinnat) oral therapy for 7 to 10 days.
Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: 750 mg cefuroxime sodium (Zinacef) three times a day or twice a day (i.v. or i.m.) for 48 to 72 hours, followed by Cefuroxime (as axetil) (Zinnat) oral therapy 500 mg a day for 5 to 10 days. Duration of both parenteral and oral therapy is determined by the severity of the infection and the clinical status of the patient.
Children: Tablet: Cefuroxime (axetil) (Zinnat) tablets should not be crushed or split and are therefore unsuitable for treatment of patients, such as younger children, who cannot swallow whole tablets.
There is no experience of using Cefuroxime (as axetil) (Zinnat) in children under the age of 3 months. (See Table 3.)

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Suspension: There is no clinical trial data available on the use of Cefuroxime axetil (Zinnat) in children under the age of 3 months.
In infants and children, it may be preferable to adjust dosage according to weight or age. The dose in infants and children 3 months to 12 years is 10 mg/kg twice daily for most infections, to a maximum of 250 mg daily. In otitis media or more severe infections the recommended dose is 15 mg/kg twice daily to a maximum of 500 mg daily. In Lyme disease, the recommended dose is 15 mg/kg twice daily to a maximum of 500 mg daily for 14 days (range of 10 to 21 days)
The following two tables serve a guideline for simplified administration from measuring spoons (5 mL) for the 125 mg/5mL or the 250 mg/5mL multi-dose suspension. (See Tables 4 and 5.)

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To enhance compliance and improve the dosing accuracy in very young children, a dosing syringe can be supplied with a multidose bottle containing 50 mL of suspension. However, dosing in spoonfuls should be considered a more favourable option if the child is able to take the medication from the spoon.
If required, the dosing syringe may also be used in older children (refer to the dosing tables as follows).
The recommended doses for the paediatric dosing syringe are expressed in mL or mg and according to bodyweight in the following tables. (Countries must select the relevant columns as required). (See Tables 6 and 7.)

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Cefuroxime is also available as the sodium salt for parenteral administration. This permits parenteral therapy with cefuroxime to be followed by oral therapy in situations where a change from parenteral to oral treatment is clinically indicated.
Renal impairment: Cefuroxime is primarily excreted by the kidneys. In patients with markedly impaired renal function it is recommended that the dosage of cefuroxime be reduced to compensate for its slower excretion (see the table as follows). (See Table 8.)

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