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Daptomycin to be assessed as treatment against VRE

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Researchers from Wayne State University will use a $1.9 million NIH grant to investigate the efficacy of daptomycin against vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium bacteria, according to a press release.

Enterococcal organisms such as Enterococcus faecium (Efm) bacteria are one of the most problematic pathogens in hospital settings and cause life-threating infections including intra-abdominal infections, urinary tract infections, endocarditis, bloodstream infections and infections transmitted by medical devices, according to Michael Rybak, PharmD, MPH, professor of pharmacy practice at Wayne State University’s Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. There are few treatment options for these infections, as many Efm bacteria have developed resistance against vancomycin.

In response, Rybak and colleagues will conduct a new research project — “A Pharmacologic Approach to Prevent Daptomycin Resistance in VRE” — to examine various dosing regimens of the lipopeptide antibiotic daptomycin (DAP) against vancomycin-resistant Efm (VREfm) bacteria.

“DAP has demonstrated bactericidal activity against VREfm in vitro, but the development of resistance during therapy has threatened its viability for future use,” Rybak said in the release. “Our research will evaluate several dosing regimens of DAP against VREfm strains in the DAP ‘susceptible’ minimum inhibitory concentration range with genetically proven proclivity for DAP resistance development. We will also evaluate several beta-lactam antibiotics in combination with DAP at optimized dosing regimens to determine the optimal beta-lactam antibiotic to use with DAP against VREfm, lowering the necessary dose exposures of DAP for clinical success, and successfully prevent the emergence of DAP resistance.”

Through their research, Rybak and colleagues hope to preserve DAP for future use and improve outcomes in patients with VREfm infections.

Disclosure: Infectious Disease News was unable to confirm relevant financial disclosures at the time of publication.