The first of the new antibiotics is called Dalvance. This is an intravenous drug that can treat skin and soft tissue infections. Dalvance was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) towards the end of May 2014.
Dalvance is intended to treat acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections caused by certain susceptible bacteria like Staphylococcus aureus (including methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant strains, that is, MRSA).
News of the second medication was released at the end of June 2014. The drug is known as Sivextro or tedizolid phosphate. The antibiotic has been approved for intravenous or oral use to treat severe MRSA. According to U.S. News and Health Report, the drug was clinically tested in more than 1,300 adults with serious skin infections. Here Sivextro was found to be as effective as linezolid, an antibiotic currently in use that has a similar mechanism of action.
Sivextro’s safety and efficacy were evaluated in two clinical trials with 1,315 adults with ABSSSI. Participants were randomly assigned to receive Sivextro or linezolid, another antibacterial drug approved to treat ABSSSI. Results showed Sivextro was as effective as linezolid for the treatment of ABSSSI.
The most common side effects identified in the clinical trials were nausea, headache, diarrhea, vomiting and dizziness. The safety and efficacy of Sivextro have not been evaluated in patients with decreased levels of white blood cells (neutropenia), so alternative therapies should be considered.