title: Drugs of the 21st century: telithromycin (HMR 3647)--the first ketolide.
abstract: Telithromycin (HMR 3647) is the first ketolide introduced into clinical practice. Ketolides are semisynthetic derivates of erythromycin A that carry novel biological properties on the erythronolide A ring. This new class of antimicrobials was designed to overcome current resistance mechanisms against erythromycin A within Gram-positive cocci. Ketolides do not induce macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (MLS(B)) resistance and are active against erythromycin resistance methylase gene (erm)-carrying Gram-positive cocci. This review summarizes published data on telithromycin and intends to define the challenge that a new antimicrobial brings to medical practice.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Medical Microbiology and Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases, University of Leipzig, Liebigstrasse 24, 04103 Leipzig, Germany. ackermg@medizin.uni-leipzig.de
authors.forename: Grit
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ackermann
authors.forename: Arne C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Rodloff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D048628:Ketolides; D018942:Macrolides; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D012329:RNA, Bacterial / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000235:genetics; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D048628:Ketolides; D018942:Macrolides; D012329:RNA, Bacterial; C106791:telithromycin