Butyrolactone ester of ceftezole (CFZ-BL) was synthesized by esterification of ceftezole (CFZ) with ${alpha}-bromo-{gamma}-butyrolactone$. The synthesis was confirmed by spectroscopic analysis. CFZ-BL was more lipophilic than CFZ when the lipophilicity was assessed by partition coefficients between n-octanol and water at various pH. CFZ-BL itself did not show any microbiological activity in vitro, but serums taken after oral administration of CFZ-BL showed substaintial microbiological activity indicating that CFZ-BL is converted to microbiologically active metabolite, probably CFZ, in the body. The conversion was confirmed by in vitro incubation study, in which CFZ-BL was incubated in some body tissues of rabbit. Liver homogenate showed fastest conversion of CFZ-BL among the tissues tested (blood and intestine). Thus, CFZ-BL appeares to be rapidly metabolized in the liver to CFZ following oral administration. The metabolism process appears to be hydrolysis of the ester to CFZ, the parent drug of CFZ-BL. In vivo metabolism of CFZ-BL to CFZ was confirmed by analying CFZ by HPLC. CFZ concentration in the serum samples taken after oral administration of CFZ-BL were higher than those in the serum samples taken after oral administration of equivalent amount of CFZ. Oral bioavailability of CFZ-BL, a prodrug of CFZ, was 1.45-fold higher than that of CFZ in rabbits possibly due to enhanced lipophility and absorption of the prodrug.