The long-acting parenteral carbapenem, ertapenem ['Invanz'], is at least as effective as piperacillin/tazobactam ['Zosyn'], cefepime and ceftriaxone ['Rocephin'] in the treatment of a range of serious hospital infections, according to presentations at the 13th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) [Glasgow, UK; May 2003]. These studies demonstrated the efficacy of ertapenem in the treatment of serious community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), community-acquired infections in patients with diabetes mellitus, CAP caused by Gram-negative enteric bacteria, generalised peritonitis and healthcare-associated pneumonia.