Cubist wins FDA nod for antibiotic Zerbaxa

Before its acquisition of Cubist Pharmaceuticals was barely underway, Merck's 9.5bn bid for the company already has garnered it a nice payoff – the US approval on 19 December of Zerbaxa (ceftolozane/tazobactam), a new combination antibiotic intended to treat adults with complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI) and complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI).

Before its acquisition of Cubist Pharmaceuticals was barely underway, Merck's 9.5bn bid for the company already has garnered it a nice payoff – the US approval on 19 December of Zerbaxa (ceftolozane/tazobactam), a new combination antibiotic intended to treat adults with complicated intra-abdominal infections (cIAI) and complicated urinary tract infections (cUTI).

Shares of Cubist rose $2.08, or 2.1%, in after-hours trading on 19 December.

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