Daptomycin: first in a new class of antibiotics for complicated skin and soft-tissue infections.
With increasing antibiotic resistance reported worldwide, there is an urgent need for novel treatments for infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria. Daptomycin is the first in a new class of antibiotic, the cyclic lipopeptides, with activity against a range of Gram-positive pathogens. US approval of daptomycin for the treatment of complicated skin and soft-tissue infections (cSSTIs) caused by Gram-positive bacteria was gained in 2003, with European approval granted in January 2006. Most Gram-positive clinical isolates tested have proved susceptible to daptomycin, including methicillin- and vancomycin-resistant strains. Daptomycin has a novel mode of action, is rapidly bactericidal in vitro and has a low potential for the development of resistance. Two pivotal phase III studies, in a total of 1092 patients with cSSTIs, demonstrated non-inferiority to currently used antibiotics and a comparable tolerability profile. The unique mode of action of daptomycin is described alongside studies demonstrating its potential in the treatment of cSSTIs and other infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria.
Department of Medicine and Center for Infectious Diseases and Travel Medicine, University Hospital Freiburg, Germany. kern@if-freiburg.de
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D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017576:Daptomycin / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D017192:Skin Diseases, Bacterial / Q000188:drug therapy*; D018461:Soft Tissue Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D017576:Daptomycin