New antibiotic for resistant bacteria

Healthcare Purchasing News, August, 2005

The Food and Drug Administration approved a new treatment for hospital patients with serious bacterial infections, including those resistant to most other antibiotics. The new drug called Tygacil, from Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, is from the first new class of antibiotics to be marketed in several years.

Wyeth said the intravenous drug will be used as a first-line treatment for stomach and skin infections and is effective against enough different bacteria that it will enable its use before doctors know which germs are causing the infection. The new drug is from a class of medicines called glycylcyclines, which is related to the tetracycline class. (Washington Post)