Carbapenem Resistant Bacterial InfectionPhase 4CASCADENCT05922124
Cefiderocol and Ampicillin-sulbactam vs. Colistin +/- Meropenem for Carbapenem Resistant A. Baumannii
A Phase 4 study testing Cefiderocol, Ampicillin-sulbactam and Colistin in people with Carbapenem Resistant Bacterial Infection and Acinetobacter Bacteremia, run by Rambam Health Care Campus at 3 sites in Israel.
Trial summary
Patients with bloodstream infections, hospital acquired pneumonia or ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) treated with cefiderocol combined with ampicillin sulbactam will be compared to patients treated treated with colistin alone or colistin combined with… Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 16 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Carbapenem Resistant Bacterial Infection, Acinetobacter Bacteremia, Acinetobacter Pneumonia
- What is being tested?
- Cefiderocol, Ampicillin-sulbactam and Colistin
- Type of treatment
- Injection or infusion
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 734 participants
- Where
- 3 sitesIsrael
- Study dates
- 1 Sep 2024to Sep 2026
- Phase
- Phase 4
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 16 years and older
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Adults >18 years with bacteremia or hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP)/ ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) (Table 3) caused by carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) (meropenem and/ or imipenem minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) >8 μg/mL) susceptible to cefiderocol (disc zone diameter >=17 mm, corresponding to an MIC <2 μg/mL). We will include CRAB regardless of colistin, ampicillin-sulbactam, minocycline, tigecycline, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and/or aminoglycoside susceptibility of the isolate. Attribution of the HAP/ VAP to CRAB will be allowed with isolation of CRAB from any respiratory sample within 7 days prior to the clinical diagnosis of pneumonia.
Who cannot join
- More than 72 hours of therapy with in-vitro coverage against the CRAB within 96 hours of enrolment
- Polymicrobial carbapenem-susceptible infections: growth of other pathogens susceptible to carbapenems, or another beta-lactam, deemed clinically-significant by the treating physicians in blood or sputum (with HAP/ VAP). We will allow recruitment of patients with other carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria
- CRAB susceptible any beta-lactam other than cefiderocol
- Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) co-infection
- Immediate-type hypersensitivity to penicillin
- Pregnant women
Show all 10Show fewer
- Previous participation in the trial
- Lack of informed consent, considering the procedures acceptable to ethics committees per locale, including deferred consent
- Infection requiring treatment for over 14 days, at the discretion of the investigators
- Life expectancy less than 24 hours or expected futility of antibiotic treatment
Trial locations and contacts
3 sites in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
Marco Falcone contact
Israel3 sites, 3 recruiting
- Recruiting
Rambam Health Care Campus
Haifa
Mical Paul, MD, m_paul@rambam.health.gov.il
Mical Paul, MD
- Recruiting
Sheba Tel HaShomer Medical Campus
Ramat Gan
Dafna Dahav, MD
Dafna Yahav, MD
- Recruiting
Shamir Medical Center (Assaf Harofeh)
Tel Aviv
Dror Marchaim
About this study
Official title: Cefiderocol and Ampicillin-sulbactam vs. Colistin or Colistin-meropenem for Carbapenem Resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii Bacteremia or Hospital-acquired Pneumonia: Controlled Clinical Study With Historical Controls (CASCADE)
Patients with bloodstream infections, hospital acquired pneumonia or ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) treated with cefiderocol combined with ampicillin sulbactam will be compared to patients treated treated with colistin alone or colistin combined with meropenem.
Read the detailed description
This will be a prospective controlled clinical study with historical controls.
In the prospective CASCADE study consecutive consenting patients with bloodstream infections, hospital acquired pneumonia or ventilator-associated pneumonia will be treated with cefiderocol combined with ampicillin sulbactam in 3 hospitals in Israel and 2 hospitals in Italy, all endemic for CRAB. We plan to recruit 150 patients into this prospective studies.
The CASCADE cohort will be compared to patients treated for the same types of infection in two recently completed randomized controlled trials (AIDA and OVERCOME). These trials compared between treatment with colistin vs. treatment with colistin-meropenem combination therapy, both finding no difference between treatment groups among patients with carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) pneumonia. Thus, patients in CASCADE will be compared to all patients with CRAB bloodstream infections, hospital acquired pneumonia or ventilator-associated pneumonia in these randomized controlled trials.
- Conditions
- Carbapenem Resistant Bacterial Infection, Acinetobacter Bacteremia, Acinetobacter Pneumonia
- Being tested
- Cefiderocol, Ampicillin-sulbactam, Colistin, Meropenem
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
CefiderocolDrug
Also called Fetroja
Test drug regimen
Ampicillin-sulbactamDrug
Also called Unasyn
Synergistic combination
ColistinDrug
Historical comparator
MeropenemDrug
Historical comparator synergistic combination
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Cefiderocol + ampicillin-sulbactam | Experimental | Cefiderocol 2 gram intravenous (IV) q8 hours and ampicillin-sulbactam 3 gram IV q6 hours for patients with normal creatinine clearance, both administered as extended infusion of 3 hours. Dosing adjusted according to reduced and augmented renal clearance and to renal replacement therapies. Receives: Drug: Cefiderocol; Drug: Ampicillin-sulbactam |
| Colistin or colistin + meropenem | Active comparator | Colistin 9 million units (MIU) intravenous (IV) loading dose followed by 4.5 MIU for patients with normal creatinine clearance +/- meropenem 2 gram IV administered as extended infusion of 3 hours. Dosing adjusted according to reduced and augmented renal clearance and to renal replacement therapies. Receives: Drug: Colistin; Drug: Meropenem |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
All cause mortality
Death from any cause
Measured: 28 days
Secondary outcomes (9)
All cause mortality
Death from any cause
Measured: 14 days
Clinical failure
Composite of:
- Death
- Systolic blood pressure ≤90 mmHg or need for vasopressor support
- Worsening sequential organ failure assessment score (SOFA) score, define as:
- for baseline SOFA ≥ 3: stable or increased
- for baseline SOFA <3: any increase
- For patients with hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP)/ ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), partial pressure of oxygen in arterial blood (PaO2)/ fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) ratio worsened
- For patients with bacteremia, growth of the initial isolate in blood cultures after ≥ 5 days since study treatment start
Measured: Day 10-14
Microbiological failure
Isolation of the initial isolate (phenotypically identical) in blood cultures 5 days or more after start of treatment or in respiratory samples 7 days or more.
Measured: Day 5-7
Resistance development to cefiderocol
Development of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales (CPE), non-CPE carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales (CRE), carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) and carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa (CRPA) resistance to cefiderocol in clinical and surveillance cultures collected as defined in the study's protocol
Measured: 28 days
Hospital stay
Among 28-day survivors
Measured: 28 days
Decline in functional capacity
Functional capacity will be assessed in four categories: independent; requires some assistance; requires assistance for activities of daily living (ADL); and bedridden. Decline in functional capacity will be defined as any 1-category worsening.
Measured: 28 days
Adverse event - Clostridiodes difficile infection
Diarrhea with a positive C. difficile toxin test
Measured: 28 days
Adverse event - renal failure
Renal failure due to any reason using the RIFLE ( risk, injury, failure, loss, End stage kidney disease) criteria (classifying patients to None, Risk, Injury, Failure, Loss and ESRD) at day 14 and day 28 and defined as worsening by two RIFLE categories (e.g. from Risk to Failure, etc.)
Measured: 28 days
Adverse event - Acute liver injury
Increase in aspartate aminotransferase (AST) or alanine transaminase (ALT) > 3-fold or increased bilirubin >2 above upper limits of normal (ULN) or baseline value if higher than ULN.
Measured: 28 days
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted28 Jun 2023
- Study start1 Sep 2024
- Primary completionJul 2026 (estimated)
- Study completionSep 2026 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (2)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Carbapenem Resistant Bacterial InfectionStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase 4
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Controlled clinical study with historical controls
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 734 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Rambam Health Care Campus
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Monaldi Hospital, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Pisa University Hospital, Assaf-Harofeh Medical Center, Sheba Medical Center
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Marco Falcone, Principal investigator, Pisa University HospitalDafna Yahav, Principal investigator, Sheba Medical CenterMical Paul, Principal investigator, Rambam Health Care Campus
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05922124
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- V0.1 May 2023
- Acronym
- CASCADE
- Status last verified
- Jul 2025
- First submitted
- 31 May 2023
- Last updated
- 1 Aug 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- Yes
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Protocol will be published. At the end of the study the database will be made available from the lead author.
Publications
Kaye KS, Marchaim D, Thamlikitkul V, Carmeli Y, Chiu CH, Daikos G, Dhar S, Durante-Mangoni E, Gikas A, Kotanidou A, Paul M, Roilides E, Rybak M, Samarkos M, Sims M, Tancheva D, Tsiodras S, Kett D, Patel G, Calfee D, Leibovici L, Power L, Munoz-Price S, Stevenson K, Susick L, Latack K, Daniel J, Chiou C, Divine GW, Ghazyaran V, Pogue JM. Colistin Monotherapy versus Combination Therapy for Carbapenem-Resistant Organisms. NEJM Evid. 2023 Jan;2(1):10.1056/evidoa2200131. doi: 10.1056/evidoa2200131. Epub 2022 Dec 6.
PubMed 37538951Paul M, Daikos GL, Durante-Mangoni E, Yahav D, Carmeli Y, Benattar YD, Skiada A, Andini R, Eliakim-Raz N, Nutman A, Zusman O, Antoniadou A, Pafundi PC, Adler A, Dickstein Y, Pavleas I, Zampino R, Daitch V, Bitterman R, Zayyad H, Koppel F, Levi I, Babich T, Friberg LE, Mouton JW, Theuretzbacher U, Leibovici L. Colistin alone versus colistin plus meropenem for treatment of severe infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria: an open-label, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Infect Dis. 2018 Apr;18(4):391-400. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(18)30099-9. Epub 2018 Feb 16.
PubMed 29456043
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 1 Aug 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Cefiderocol and Ampicillin-sulbactam vs. Colistin or Colistin-meropenem for Carbapenem Resistant Acinetobacter Baumannii Bacteremia or Hospital-acquired Pneumonia: Controlled Clinical Study With Historical Controls (CASCADE)
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05922124
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- CASCADE / V0.1 May 2023
- Conditions
- Carbapenem Resistant Bacterial Infection, Acinetobacter Bacteremia, Acinetobacter Pneumonia
- Phase
- Phase 4
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Enrolment
- 734 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Rambam Health Care CampusUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Monaldi Hospital, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Pisa University Hospital, Assaf-Harofeh Medical Center, Sheba Medical Center
- Study start
- 1 Sep 2024 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Jul 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Sep 2026 (estimated)
- First posted
- 28 Jun 2023 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Patients with bloodstream infections, hospital acquired pneumonia or ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) treated with cefiderocol combined with ampicillin sulbactam will be compared to patients treated treated with colistin alone or colistin combined with meropenem.
Detailed description
This will be a prospective controlled clinical study with historical controls.
In the prospective CASCADE study consecutive consenting patients with bloodstream infections, hospital acquired pneumonia or ventilator-associated pneumonia will be treated with cefiderocol combined with ampicillin sulbactam in 3 hospitals in Israel and 2 hospitals in Italy, all endemic for CRAB. We plan to recruit 150 patients into this prospective studies.
The CASCADE cohort will be compared to patients treated for the same types of infection in two recently completed randomized controlled trials (AIDA and OVERCOME). These trials compared between treatment with colistin vs. treatment with colistin-meropenem combination therapy, both finding no difference between treatment groups among patients with carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) pneumonia. Thus, patients in CASCADE will be compared to all patients with CRAB bloodstream infections, hospital acquired pneumonia or ventilator-associated pneumonia in these randomized controlled trials.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Non-randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Controlled clinical study with historical controls
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Cefiderocol + ampicillin-sulbactam | Experimental | Drug: Cefiderocol, Drug: Ampicillin-sulbactamCefiderocol 2 gram intravenous (IV) q8 hours and ampicillin-sulbactam 3 gram IV q6 hours for patients with normal creatinine clearance, both administered as extended infusion of 3 hours. Dosing adjusted according to reduced and augmented renal clearance and to renal replacement therapies. |
| Colistin or colistin + meropenem | Active comparator | Drug: Colistin, Drug: MeropenemColistin 9 million units (MIU) intravenous (IV) loading dose followed by 4.5 MIU for patients with normal creatinine clearance +/- meropenem 2 gram IV administered as extended infusion of 3 hours. Dosing adjusted according to reduced and augmented renal clearance and to renal replacement therapies. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 16 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- Adults >18 years with bacteremia or hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP)/ ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) (Table 3) caused by carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii (CRAB) (meropenem and/ or imipenem minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) >8 μg/mL) susceptible to cefiderocol (disc zone diameter >=17 mm, corresponding to an MIC <2 μg/mL). We will include CRAB regardless of colistin, ampicillin-sulbactam, minocycline, tigecycline, trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and/or aminoglycoside susceptibility of the isolate. Attribution of the HAP/ VAP to CRAB will be allowed with isolation of CRAB from any respiratory sample within 7 days prior to the clinical diagnosis of pneumonia.
Key exclusion criteria (10 listed)
- More than 72 hours of therapy with in-vitro coverage against the CRAB within 96 hours of enrolment
- Polymicrobial carbapenem-susceptible infections: growth of other pathogens susceptible to carbapenems, or another beta-lactam, deemed clinically-significant by the treating physicians in blood or sputum (with HAP/ VAP). We will allow recruitment of patients with other carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria
- CRAB susceptible any beta-lactam other than cefiderocol
- Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) co-infection
- Immediate-type hypersensitivity to penicillin
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| CefiderocolAlso: FetrojaTest drug regimen | Drug | Cefiderocol + ampicillin-sulbactam |
| Ampicillin-sulbactamAlso: UnasynSynergistic combination | Drug | Cefiderocol + ampicillin-sulbactam |
| ColistinHistorical comparator | Drug | Colistin or colistin + meropenem |
| MeropenemHistorical comparator synergistic combination | Drug | Colistin or colistin + meropenem |
Primary outcome
All cause mortality
Time frame: 28 days
Death from any cause
9 secondary outcomes
All cause mortality
Time frame: 14 days
Clinical failure
Time frame: Day 10-14
Microbiological failure
Time frame: Day 5-7
Resistance development to cefiderocol
Time frame: 28 days
Hospital stay
Time frame: 28 days
Decline in functional capacity
Time frame: 28 days
Adverse event - Clostridiodes difficile infection
Time frame: 28 days
Adverse event - renal failure
Time frame: 28 days
Adverse event - Acute liver injury
Time frame: 28 days
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 1 Aug 2025.
- Background: PubMed 37538951Kaye KS, Marchaim D, Thamlikitkul V, Carmeli Y, Chiu CH, Daikos G, Dhar S, Durante-Mangoni E, Gikas A, Kotanidou A, Paul M, Roilides E, Rybak M, Samarkos M, Sims M, Tancheva D, Tsiodras S, Kett D, Patel G, Calfee D, Leibovici L, Power L, Munoz-Price S, Stevenson K, Susick L, Latack K, Daniel J, Chiou C, Divine GW, Ghazyaran V, Pogue JM. Colistin Monotherapy versus Combination Therapy for Carbapenem-Resistant Organisms. NEJM Evid. 2023 Jan;2(1):10.1056/evidoa2200131. doi: 10.1056/evidoa2200131. Epub 2022 Dec 6.
- Results publication: PubMed 29456043Paul M, Daikos GL, Durante-Mangoni E, Yahav D, Carmeli Y, Benattar YD, Skiada A, Andini R, Eliakim-Raz N, Nutman A, Zusman O, Antoniadou A, Pafundi PC, Adler A, Dickstein Y, Pavleas I, Zampino R, Daitch V, Bitterman R, Zayyad H, Koppel F, Levi I, Babich T, Friberg LE, Mouton JW, Theuretzbacher U, Leibovici L. Colistin alone versus colistin plus meropenem for treatment of severe infections caused by carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria: an open-label, randomised controlled trial. Lancet Infect Dis. 2018 Apr;18(4):391-400. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(18)30099-9. Epub 2018 Feb 16.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Protocol will be published. At the end of the study the database will be made available from the lead author.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
Marco Falcone contact
Marco Falcone principal investigator
Pisa University Hospital
Dafna Yahav principal investigator
Sheba Medical Center
Mical Paul principal investigator
Rambam Health Care Campus
3 sites in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A Phase 4 study testing Cefiderocol, Ampicillin-sulbactam and Colistin in people with Carbapenem Resistant Bacterial Infection and Acinetobacter Bacteremia, run by Rambam Health Care Campus at 3 sites in Israel.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 1 inclusion and 10 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 1 Aug 2025. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 3 sites in Israel. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
What does this phase mean?
Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.
Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Mical Paul (0502062140, paulm@technion.ac.il), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
All cause mortality (time frame: 28 days). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT05922124, which also lists 2 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 1 Aug 2025.