Cefuroxime is a semisynthetic, broad-spectrum, cephalosporin antibiotic. Cefuroxime is a bactericidal agent that acts by inhibition of bacterial cell wall synthesis. Cefuroxime has activity in the presence of some beta-lactamases, both penicillinases and cephalosporinases, of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Cefuroxime has been shown to be active against most isolates of the following bacteria, both in vitro and in clinical infection: Enterobacter spp., Escherichia coli, Klebsiella spp., Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes. Cefuroxime is indicated for the treatment of patients with septicemia, meningitis, gonorrhea, lower respiratory tract, urinary tract, skin and skin-structure, bone and joint infections caused by susceptible strains of the designated organisms.

Cefuroxime Pivoxetil is an ester prodrug of cefuroxime, a semisynthetic, broad-spectrum, beta-lactamase-resistant, second-generation cephalosporin with antibacterial activity. Cefuroxime binds to and inactivates penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) located on the inner membrane of the bacterial cell wall. PBPs are enzymes involved in the terminal stages of assembling the bacterial cell wall and in reshaping the cell wall during growth and division. Inactivation of PBPs interferes with the cross-linkage of peptidoglycan chains necessary for bacterial cell wall strength and rigidity. This results in the weakening of the bacterial cell wall and causes cell lysis.

Cefuracetime is an impurity of Cefuroxime, which is an antibacterial agent.