Description

Co-amoxiclav is a combination antibiotic used for bacterial infections. It contains amoxicillin (an antibiotic from the penicillin group of medicines) mixed with clavulanic acid. The clavulanic acid stops bacteria from breaking down amoxicillin, allowing the antibiotic to work better.

How does co-amoxiclav work?

Co-amoxiclav is a similar antibiotic to penicillin. It works by combining amoxicillin with clavulanic acid to kill the bacteria that cause an infection.
Sometimes amoxicillin cannot kill the bacteria on its own. This is because some types of bacteria produce an enzyme (called beta-lactamase) that breaks amoxicillin down.
Clavulanic acid prevents the enzyme from doing this, so that amoxicillin can work properly to kill the bacteria