Cefpodoxime proxetil is converted to cefpodoxime, its active form, in the body. Like other cephalosporins, cefpodoxime stops bacteria from multiplying by preventing bacteria from forming the walls that surround them. The walls are necessary to protect bacteria from their environment and to keep the contents of the bacterial cell together; most bacteria cannot survive without a cell wall. Cefpodoxime is active against a wide spectrum of bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes (the cause of strep throat), Streptococcus agalactiae, Hemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, E. coli, Klebsiella, Proteus mirabilis, Proteus vulgaris, Providencia rettgeri, Haemophilus parainfluenzae, and Neisseria gonorrhoeae.