MAFENIDE ACETATE IS A SYNTHETIC ANTIMICROBIAL AGENT. MAFENIDE ACETATE EXERTS BROAD BACTERIOSTATIC ACTION AGAINST MANY GRAM-NEGATIVE AND GRAM-POSITIVE ORGANISMS, INCLUDING PSEUDOMONAS AERUGINOSA AND CERTAIN STRAINS OF ANAEROBES.
THE MECHANISM OF ACTION OF MAFENIDE IS NOT KNOWN, BUT IS DIFFERENT FROM THAT OF THE SULFONAMIDES. MAFENIDE IS NOT ANTAGONIZED BY PABA, SERUM, PUS OR TISSUE EXUDATES, AND THERE IS NO CORRELATION BETWEEN BACTERIAL SENSITIVITIES TO MAFENIDE AND TO THE SULFONAMIDES. ITS ACTIVITY IS NOT ALTERED BY CHANGES IN THE ACIDITY OF THE ENVIRONMENT. THE OSMOLALITY OF THE 5% TOPICAL SOLUTION IS APPROXIMATELY 340 MOSM/KG.