What You Need To Know
Summary:
The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) Communicable Disease Service (CDS) is issuing a Health Advisory about multi-jurisdictional cases of serious adverse events reported after Ceftriaxone administration. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in collaboration with state and local health departments, is investigating reports of serious adverse events, including deaths, following receipt of injectable ceftriaxone from September 1, 2024 to present. To date, reported events have not been associated with a single product manufacturer or lot number, and a definitive causal link to ceftriaxone has not been established. Clinicians and other healthcare personnel should have a low threshold for reporting these serious adverse events to NJDOH as outlined below
Recommendations for clinicians and other healthcare personnel:
Report all reports of serious adverse events following the administration of ceftriaxone that meets the criteria listed below:
- Occurred within 6 hours after receipt of injectable ceftriaxone* in a non-ICU setting, and
- Resulted in death or required cardiopulmonary resuscitation** and
- Not attributed by the treating provider (s) to a cause other than ceftriaxone administration***
*including both intramuscular and intravenous routes of administration
** cardiopulmonary resuscitation defined as the use of chest compressions and mechanical ventilation or provision of rescue breaths to maintain circulatory flow and oxygenation during cardiac arrest
*** such as known infection, other underlying medical condition, or exposure to a medication or medical product other than ceftriaxone
Adverse events meeting the above criteria can be reported at New Jersey Department of Health Communicable Disease Service at DOH.CDS.HAIAR.EPI@doh.nj.gov and by contacting Gargi Patel (Antimicrobial Resistance Coordinator) at gargi.patel@doh.nj.gov. Healthcare providers or facilities should also report serious adverse events that might be associated with a medical product to FDA’s MedWatch Program via their website (https://www.fda.gov/safety/medical-product-safety-information/medwatch-forms-fda-safety-reporting) and to the product manufacturer.