An antibiotic from Wyeth Pharmaceuticals that could provide a new weapon against skin and intra-abdominal infections, has been granted European approval.
Tygacil (tigecycline) is the first antibiotic in a new class called glycylcyclines, approved in Europe. It is indicated for use in complicated infections of the skin and soft tissue and complicated intra-abdominal infections acquired in hospitals or in the community.
The antibiotic has in vitro activity against many gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, including drug-resistant bacteria such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus (VRE).
Tygacil is one of a limited number of new broad-spectrum antibiotics that can be used as empiric monotherapy (before the bacteria are identified) in the treatment of skin or intra-abdominal infections, especially those that may be caused by a mixture of different bacteria.
Professor Mark Wilcox, clinical director of Microbiology & Infection Control, Leeds Teaching Hospital, said: "When a patient develops a serious infection in hospital it takes between 24 and 48 hrs to pinpoint the bacteria responsible. It's vital, therefore, in these critical early stages of treatment, to have efficacious broad-spectrum antibiotics available. Tygacil is a useful new alternative broad spectrum antibiotic option."
David McIntosh, medical director of Wyeth Pharmaceuticals said: "Since FDA approval in June 2005, Tygacil has been used in patient care in many US hospitals, and we are very pleased that patients in Europe will now be able to benefit from this new effective antibiotic."
It will be launched in individual EU countries during 2006 and 2007, beginning with Germany and Austria.