|
The Anti Infective Drugs Advisory Committee of
the FDA recommended approval of Zyvox for treatment of pneumonia, skin
infections and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium, a germ infamous
for causing deadly infections in the abdomen, urinary tract, post-surgical
wounds and even heart valves. Zyvox has been widely hailed for its effectiveness
against germs that have grown resistant to other medicines, including
vancomycin, now the drug of last resort for lingering infections.
The manufacturer, Pharmacia & Upjohn, said Zyvox
can be delivered via injection, tablets or liquid. In the decades since
the first life-saving antibiotic, penicillin, was discovered, the inappropriate
use of antibiotics has yielded these wonder drugs less and less effective.
Read on to learn more about antibiotic resistance and what you can do
to help prevent it. Zyvox is likely to be reserved for particularly ill
patients, especially those with bugs resistant to older drugs. It will
join another new antibiotic, Aventis' Synercid, which was approved by
the FDA last fall.
| 