Abstract

Cephalosporin compounds, like the penicillins, act by inhibiting cell wall synthesis in multiplying bacteria. By attaching different side chains to the 7-aminocephalosporanic acid nucleus, a number of different cephalosporins have been produced. The first drug of the group to be introduced in Britain was cephaloridine (Ceporin - Glaxo), which we discussed in 1965.¹ Now another compound, cephalothin (Keflin - Lilly) has become available. It has been used in the U.S.A. since 1963, and much of the information about it comes from American work. Very recently a third cephalosporin has been introduced, cephalexin (Ceporex - Glaxo; Keflex - Lilly). Its most important feature is that it is active by mouth. We shall discuss it in a forthcoming issue.