Beyond Vancomycin: The Tail of the Lipoglycopeptides.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this comparative review is to provide clinical information on the semisynthetic lipoglycopeptides (telavancin, oritavancin, and dalbavancin) for the management of gram-positive infections.

METHODS: A PubMed search was conducted using the following terms: telavancin, dalbavancin, and oritavancin. Clinical trials evaluating pharmacokinetic properties, pharmacodynamic properties, clinical efficacy, and safety profiles were included in the review.

FINDINGS: The lipoglycopeptides are approximately 4- to 8-fold more potent than vancomycin against gram-positive organisms, including activity against vancomycin-intermediate or vancomycin-resistant strains of Staphylococcus and Enterococcus species. In addition, oritavancin maintains activity against Enterococcus species harboring vanA operon. Clinical trial data revealed equal efficacy to vancomycin in the management of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections and, in the case of telavancin, hospital-acquired pneumonia. A benefit of oritavancin and dalbavancin is that a full course of therapy consists of a single- or 2-dose regimen, respectively. These agents are well tolerated with similar adverse event rates to vancomycin. Telavancin requires a thorough assessment before initiation of therapy to minimize the risk of acute kidney injury and teratogenicity.

IMPLICATIONS: The lipoglycopeptides enhance the antibiotic gram-positive armamentarium at a time when methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus prevalence and overall resistance is at an all-time high. These agents serve to fill different clinical roles in the management of gram-positive infections. On the basis of the available data, telavancin should be considered a plausible agent for the management of gram-positive organisms when patients do not respond or develop adverse effects to vancomycin. Dalbavancin and oritavancin are new therapeutic options, and their potency and pharmacokinetic properties may provide benefit over existing therapies. Clinical trial data indicate that patients with signs or symptoms of skin and skin structure infections may be successfully treated using 1 or 2 doses of these agents. Eliminating the need for inpatient admission, central catheter placement, and/or daily outpatient parenteral antibiotic therapy is a major advance in treatment of skin and skin structure infections. This strategy may reduce costs associated with resource utilization and iatrogenic morbidity, resulting in overall improvements in care.