Fetroja—the world’s only siderophore cephalosporin—uses iron like a Trojan horse to actively enter bacterial cells via iron transport along with passive porin entry1-3

To obtain iron for growth, bacteria produce siderophores, which bind to iron, and then actively transport the siderophore-bound iron into their cells to proliferate4
Fetroja is a unique cephalosporin with an attached catechol side-chain (siderophore), and uses iron to actively enter bacterial cells, in addition to passive entry via porin channels1-3

Fetroja binds to iron so that pathogens actively uptake drug via iron transport systems1-3

Fetroja® (cefiderocol) chemical structure showing cephalosporin linked to iron-binding siderophore, a catechol side-chain

Iron molecule

 

Catechol side-chain provides additional stability against β-lactamases

Fetroja—the world’s only siderophore cephalosporin—uses a Trojan horse strategy1,2