PURPOSE: To provide new compounds which are active against Gram-positive bacteria and Gram-negative bacteria and useful as not only antibacterial agents but also additive to animal feeding stuff and food preservatives and disinfectants or the like.

CONSTITUTION: The objective MRSA-active 2-phenyl-carbapenems are represented by formula I [wherein R is H or CH3; R2 is (R)-CH3CH(OH)-, or (R)-CH3CH(F)-; Ra1 and Ra3 are each a halogen, -SCH3 or the like; M is a cation or an ester; provided that when R is H, R2 is not (R)-CH3CH(OH)] and include, e.g. sodium (5R,6S)-2-[3-bromphenyl]-6-[(1R)-hydroxyethyl]-carbapen-2-em-3- carboxylate. The exemplified compound can be derived, e.g. from an ylide ketone of formula III which have been obtained by dropping a Grignard solution to (3S,4R)-1-{[(allyloxy)carbonyl](tri-phenylphospholanylidene)methyl}-3-[(1 R)-1-(allyloxycarbonyloxy)ethyl]-4-{(1R)-2'-[(pyridylthio)car bonyl]methyl}azetidin-2-one.