Daptomycin Antibiotic Effective For Treating Pediatric Skin Infections

Highlights

• Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is one of the common drug-resistant bacteria which causes hospital-acquired infections.
• Daptomycin antibiotic found to be //effective in the treatment of skin infections caused by MRSA in adults.
• A recent study finds the efficacy of the antibiotic in treating pediatric skin infections.

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) is the most common bacteria which is difficult to treat particularly in children as it may cause complicated skin and skin structure infections. A recent clinical trial found daptomycin antibiotic that is approved for use in adults to be effective and well-tolerated in children.

The research findings will be published in the journal Pediatrics.

John Bradley, MD, Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, co-chief of the division of Infectious Diseases at UC San Diego School of Medicine and director of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Rady Children’s Hospital -San Diego, said, "The safety and efficacy of intravenous daptomycin was comparable to standard-of-care IV antibiotics used for hospitalized children, usually vancomycin or clindamycin for MRSA and cefazolin for methicillin-susceptible strains of S. aureus."

"Daptomycin should provide a safe and effective alternative to vancomycin, clindamycin or linezolid for IV treatment of invasive MRSA skin infections. Concerns for vancomycin renal toxicity and clindamycin antibiotic resistance were not present. There was no evidence of daptomycin toxicity in the trial."

The Food and Drug Administration is also currently reviewing the need to approve daptomycin use in children.

The drug was approved in 2003 for the treatment of skin and skin structure infections in adults. And for bloodstream infections after three years.

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Methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections are associated with patients who are admitted to the hospital as they are prone to have a weak immune system. Community associated MRSA infections are however widespread and are readily transmitted at daycare centers, playgrounds, and schools where the children have frequent skin-to-skin contact and play toys which are not cleaned and likely to have abrasions, bites that offer potential infections.

Research Study
The research study included more than 250 daptomycin-exposed children between the age of 1 - 17 years to document the safety and efficacy of antibiotic in treating skin and skin structure infections.

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The dosing of the drug was based on adult response. However children were able to eliminate the drug more easily. The dose of the children increased as the age of the research participants decreased.

Bradley, said, "Most news these days is about the declining utility of antibiotics as microbial resistance becomes more widespread and intractable."

"These findings are encouraging. Daptomycin appears to be a suitable, once-a-day alternative to existing antibiotics with harsher side effects."

Community Acquired - Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Infections (CA-MRSA)
CA-MRSA is a type of infection which is predominantly acquired in the hospitals and the community.

These may usually cause skin infections that can lead to serious consequences like pneumonia and infections in the bones and joints.

Daptomycin Drug
Daptomycin injections are a group of cyclic lipopeptide antibiotics which are used to treat blood infections and serious skin infections caused by the bacteria. The drug mainly acts by killing the bacteria.

References:

1. Daptomycin Injection - (https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a608045.html )

Source-Medindia