Sulbactam

What it isA first-generation beta-lactamase inhibitor paired with ampicillin, with intrinsic activity of its own against Acinetobacter.

Why this oneThe Acinetobacter activity is the twist: at high dose, sulbactam itself — not the ampicillin — is the therapeutic agent, a role formalized in the newer sulbactam-durlobactam pairing.

What limits itAgainst modern extended-spectrum and carbapenemase enzymes it is largely obsolete as an inhibitor.