Telavancin for the treatment of nosocomial pneumonia caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)

vancin for the treatment of nosocomial pneumonia caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Review (2283) Total Article Views Authors: Hooper CY, Smith WJ Published Date March 2012 Volume 2012:8 Pages 131 - 137 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/TCRM.S23247 Received: 16 January 2012 Accepted: 20 February 2012 Published: 16 March 2012 Candace Y Hooper, Winter J Smith Department of Pharmacy, Clinical and Administrative Sciences, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center College of Pharmacy, Oklahoma City, OK, USA Abstract: Telavancin is a bactericidal lipoglycopeptide antibiotic that is structurally related to vancomycin. It demonstrates in vitro activity against a variety of Gram-positive pathogens including, but not limited to, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Telavancin is currently FDA-approved for the treatment of complicated skin and skin-structure infections. Recently, two randomized clinical trials demonstrated the efficacy and safety of telavancin compared to vancomycin for the treatment of nosocomial pneumonia. Overall, telavancin has a favorable safety profile. However, mild gastrointestinal disturbances and reversible increases in serum creatinine were observed in clinical studies. Additional clinical studies are needed to evaluate telavancin’s efficacy and safety in comparison to other antistaphylococcal agents for the treatment of infections such as bacteremia and endocarditis.