Zinacef (injectable) and Zinnat/Ceftin (oral) cefuroxime are licensed across respiratory, urinary, skin and surgical-prophylaxis indications, and buyers can specify the originator brand or a licensed generic line against the same tender.
M Care Exports is a merchant exporter of cefuroxime, a second-generation cephalosporin originally developed by GlaxoSmithKline as injectable Zinacef and oral Zinnat (marketed as Ceftin in the US, now discontinued there), alongside licensed generic cefuroxime injection and cefuroxime axetil tablets. We source both the originator brand and generic lines through Indian WHO-GMP manufacturing and distribution channels and dispatch against a buyer's specification, not from our own manufacturing.
Cefuroxime exporter and bulk supplier from India.
For hospital pharmacy, wholesaler and MoH tender orders, M Care quotes cefuroxime against buyer specification: injectable Zinacef or generic cefuroxime sodium for injection (750 mg or 1.5 g vials), and oral Zinnat/Ceftin or generic cefuroxime axetil tablets (250 mg or 500 mg), sourced from licensed WHO-GMP manufacturer lines on the M Care roster. Because the tablet and oral suspension forms are not interchangeable milligram-for-milligram, and injectable and oral cefuroxime are separate registration classes in most destination markets, we confirm the exact dosage form a tender line specifies before we release a quote, then align CTD/eCTD or country-specific dossier paperwork to the destination regulator's requirements.
Source
WHO-GMP-certified Indian manufacturing line, named on every quote.
Minimum order
No blanket MOQ. Set by the source manufacturer's minimum batch-release quantity for the strength and pack ordered.
Pricing
On request. Indicative FOB or CIF quote, formal proforma on confirmation.
Incoterms
EXW, FOB, CIF, CIP or DAP.
Payment
Letter of credit (sight or usance) and telegraphic transfer.
Documentation
WHO-GMP certificate of the source line, product-specific CoPP, batch CoA, method of analysis, Free Sale Certificate, Certificate of Origin, CTD or eCTD dossier. On request.
Shelf-life
Minimum remaining shelf-life agreed per order and confirmed on the proforma.
Response
Availability and CoPP status within two working days; pre-alert documents before dispatch.
Second-generation cephalosporin antibacterial, beta-lactam, sourced and documented for export.
Cefuroxime is a second-generation cephalosporin antibacterial. It inhibits bacterial cell-wall synthesis and carries broader Gram-negative cover than first-generation cephalosporins, while retaining useful Gram-positive activity, which is why it sits on hospital formularies as a workhorse agent for respiratory, urinary, skin and surgical-prophylaxis use. Zinacef, the injectable form, is licensed for lower respiratory tract infection, urinary tract infection, skin and skin-structure infection, septicaemia, meningitis, gonorrhoea, and bone and joint infection, and is also used for prophylaxis in clean-contaminated or potentially contaminated surgical procedures. Zinnat, the oral cefuroxime axetil tablet marketed as Ceftin in the US, is licensed for acute tonsillitis and pharyngitis, acute bacterial sinusitis, acute otitis media, acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, cystitis and pyelonephritis, uncomplicated skin and soft-tissue infection, and early Lyme disease in adults and children from 3 months. Cefuroxime axetil is an ester prodrug: it is inactive until hydrolysed to cefuroxime after absorption, and the UK SmPC specifies tablets should be taken after food for optimum absorption. Injectable cefuroxime is supplied as 750 mg and 1.5 g vials of powder for solution for injection or infusion; the oral tablet comes in 250 mg and 500 mg strengths, with a separate oral suspension also on the market that is not bioequivalent to the tablet on a milligram-per-milligram basis.
Active ingredient
cefuroxime sodium (injection); cefuroxime axetil, an ester prodrug of cefuroxime (oral tablet). Second-generation cephalosporin antibacterial, beta-lactam.
Forms and strengths
750 mg powder for injection vial; 1.5 g powder for injection vial; 250 mg film-coated tablet; 500 mg film-coated tablet.
Indications
Second-generation cephalosporin supplied as injectable cefuroxime sodium (Zinacef) for lower respiratory, urinary, skin, bone/joint, meningeal and severe infection plus surgical prophylaxis, and as oral cefuroxime axetil tablets (Zinnat/Ceftin) for tonsillitis, sinusitis, otitis media, bronchitis exacerbation, cystitis and uncomplicated skin infection.
Administration
intravenous, intramuscular, oral. Powder for solution for injection or infusion (vial); film-coated tablet.
Documentation
Batch-specific CoA, CoPP, manufacturing-site WHO-GMP certificate and stability data compiled per consignment, in the format the destination regulator expects.
Hospital pharmacies, licensed importers and tender desks across our export markets.
India is our origin. We do not sell into the Indian market.
Buyers for cefuroxime are hospital pharmacists stocking a broad-spectrum injectable for respiratory, urinary, skin and surgical-prophylaxis protocols, primary and community pharmacies dispensing oral Zinnat/Ceftin or generic cefuroxime axetil for ENT, respiratory and urinary infections, national and regional MoH tender desks running anti-infective procurement lists, licensed pharmaceutical wholesalers and importers stocking hospital and retail anti-infective ranges, and surgical and theatre pharmacy services specifying cefuroxime as a standard prophylactic agent.
GCC registration routes
Supply against MoH registration held by your local licensed importer, or via the GCC central registration pathway.
UK unlicensed routes
Where no UK licence exists, the MHRA Specials and named-patient import routes cover clinically justified demand.
Tender desks
Bid-pack documentation assembled to the tender's specification, from CoPP to batch records.
Dossier support
CTD documentation from the sourcing manufacturer, compiled for your regulator's format.
What the dispensing pharmacist checks on cefuroxime.
Cefuroxime dosing splits sharply by route: injectable dosing for adults runs 750 mg to 1.5 g every 8 hours, rising to every 6 hours in severe infection, with a single 1.5 g dose commonly given just before surgery for prophylaxis; oral cefuroxime axetil is dosed by indication, typically 250 mg to 500 mg twice daily, and should be counselled to be taken after food, since the axetil ester is a prodrug and food measurably improves hydrolysis and absorption. Tablets and oral suspension are not bioequivalent and must never be substituted on a milligram-per-milligram basis, so any dispensing change between the two forms needs a fresh dose calculation, not a straight swap. Renal impairment requires dose or interval adjustment for the injectable form based on creatinine clearance. Reconstituted injectable solution is stable for 24 hours at room temperature, with refrigerated hold times that vary by concentration and manufacturer, which matters for ward-level batching and infusion-service scheduling; pharmacies should check the specific manufacturer's insert before batching doses ahead of need. As with other cephalosporins, a documented penicillin allergy warrants a risk assessment before first dosing rather than an automatic substitution, given the shared beta-lactam ring structure.
The documentation pack a regulator actually asks for.
Cefuroxime ships as a room-temperature powder for injection or a room-temperature oral tablet, so M Care's documentation chain runs the standard non-biologic export file: batch-specific certificate of analysis, WHO-GMP manufacturing site documentation from the sourcing partner, and CDSCO export paperwork from the Mumbai desk, with CTD/eCTD dossier support for destination markets such as MHRA, SFDA, MOHAP, NAFDAC, PPB or SAHPRA that require local registration or tender-listing documentation before import. WHO added cefuroxime to the Essential Medicines List in 2019 as a second-choice agent for surgical antibiotic prophylaxis, listed only in its parenteral (powder-for-injection) form, and it sits in the WATCH group under WHO's AWaRe antimicrobial-stewardship framework, which buyers running formulary-justification or antimicrobial-stewardship programmes should factor into tender specification. On brand versus generic: Zinacef and Zinnat were originally developed and marketed by GlaxoSmithKline, and GSK's Ceftin brand for oral cefuroxime axetil is on record with the FDA, though current FDA marketing status shows it discontinued in the US. Both Zinacef and Zinnat are long off-patent, and marketing authorisations for the branded names now sit with other holders depending on the market, alongside licensed generic cefuroxime for injection and cefuroxime axetil tablets registered from multiple manufacturers in the US, UK and EU, including Indian-origin API and finished-dose lines. Buyers genuinely have a brand-or-generic choice for either dosage form; the one substitution that is not free is between the tablet and oral-suspension presentations, which UK and US labelling both flag as non-bioequivalent. We do not manufacture cefuroxime ourselves and hold no WHO-GMP or WHO-PQ certification in our own name; every batch we export carries its manufacturing partner's own certification.
CoA and MoA, per batch
Batch-specific certificate and method of analysis from the sourcing manufacturer's QC release.
CoPP, WHO-GMP, MFG licence
Certificate of pharmaceutical product and site GMP certification issued via CDSCO channels, naming the actual manufacturing site.
CTD Module 3
Chemistry, manufacturing and controls documentation available from the sourcing manufacturer for registration filings.
Pack insert, labels, artwork
Destination-language patient information and labelling to the local regulator's standard, locked before shipment.
Pharmacovigilance
A named PV contact arranged in the destination market where the registration requires one.
Adjacent lines procurement desks order alongside cefuroxime.
Molecule · strength · volume · destination. One working day to a quote.
- Send us the specifics. Form and strength, pack preference, destination market and indicative volume for cefuroxime.
- We route to the right line. The enquiry goes to the WHO-GMP certified manufacturing partner whose certificates fit your regulator.
- Commercial and regulatory offer. FOB or CIF price with the documentation list, named manufacturing site and current certificate validity.
- Order, produce, release, ship. QC release on the Indian side, batch documents compiled, despatch on the agreed incoterm.
- After delivery. Batch records and certificates archived and retrievable for the life of the product on your shelf.
Cefuroxime supply, the specific questions.
What is the difference between Zinacef and Zinnat?
Zinacef is the injectable form of cefuroxime, licensed for lower respiratory, urinary tract, skin, bone/joint, meningitis and severe infection, plus surgical prophylaxis. Zinnat, sold as Ceftin in the US, is the oral tablet form (cefuroxime axetil), licensed for tonsillitis, sinusitis, otitis media, bronchitis exacerbation, cystitis, uncomplicated skin infection and early Lyme disease. They are separate registrations and separate dosage forms, not interchangeable presentations of the same product.
Is there a generic version of Zinacef or Zinnat?
Yes. Both the injectable and the oral tablet are long off-patent, and licensed generic cefuroxime for injection and cefuroxime axetil tablets are registered from multiple manufacturers in the US, UK and EU. M Care can source either the originator brand or a generic line, depending on what your tender or formulary specification requires.
Why does cefuroxime axetil need to be taken with food?
Cefuroxime axetil is an inactive ester prodrug that is hydrolysed to active cefuroxime after absorption. The UK SmPC specifies that Zinnat tablets should be taken after food for optimum absorption, since food measurably improves how much of the dose reaches the bloodstream. This is a standard counselling point for any pharmacy dispensing the oral tablet.
Can cefuroxime tablets and oral suspension be swapped on a milligram basis?
No. The US label for cefuroxime axetil tablets states explicitly that the tablet and oral suspension formulations are not bioequivalent and are not substitutable milligram-for-milligram. Any change between the two forms needs a fresh dosing decision, not a direct swap, and pharmacies should flag this on any dispensing label change.
Is cefuroxime on the WHO Essential Medicines List?
Yes, since 2019, but only in its injectable form. WHO lists parenteral cefuroxime as a second-choice agent for surgical antibiotic prophylaxis, and it sits in the WATCH group of WHO's AWaRe antimicrobial-stewardship classification. The oral axetil tablet is not separately listed on the EML.
What strengths and dosage forms of cefuroxime can M Care supply?
Injectable cefuroxime as 750 mg and 1.5 g vials of powder for solution for injection or infusion, and oral cefuroxime axetil as 250 mg and 500 mg film-coated tablets, matching the Zinacef/Zinnat/Ceftin presentations and the equivalent licensed generic lines. Tell us your dosing protocol, indication mix and destination market and we quote the split accordingly.
Who stands behind this page, and where its statements come from.
Reviewed by Dr. Rajat Bhatt, PharmD, Managing Director, M Care Exports. Last reviewed 2026-09-13.
This page is sourcing information for licensed importers, hospital procurement and tender desks. It is not medical, pharmaceutical or prescribing advice, and it is not a substitute for the approved product information of the line on your order. See our full disclaimer.
Send the specifics. You'll have a price inside one working day.
Form and strength, destination market and indicative volume. The Mumbai desk replies within one working day, including when the honest answer is that the route is not viable yet.