my personal edition > clinical pharmacology > news
E-Mail this DGReview to a colleague
DGReview
Telithromycin Offers New Therapy for Respiratory Tract Infections
A DGReview of :"Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic considerations in antimicrobial selection: focus on telithromycin"
Clinical Microbiology and Infection
10/05/2001
By Elda Hauschildt
Telithromycin offers convenient, once-daily therapy for respiratory tract infections.
The drug is the first of a new family of semi-synthetic antimicrobial drugs called ketolides.
Telithromycin penetrates rapidly into respiratory tissues and fluids, "a feature probably related to its ability to concentrate inside white blood cells," says Dr. G. Drusano of the division of clinical pharmacy at Albany Medical College, in Albany, New York, United States.
"Its pharmacokinetic profile reveals that telithromycin can be administered once daily without regard for meals, and it requires no dose reduction in elderly patients or those with hepatic impairment."
Dr. Drusano reports that pharmacodynamic studies indicate that the ratio of the area under the concentration-time curve:minimum inhibitory concentration (AUC:MIC) and the peak plasma concentration:MIC ratio are important determinants of bacteriological outcome with telithromycin.
"Telithromycin has a high AUC:MIC ratio compared with macrolide antimicrobials, which is expected to result in enhanced antimicrobial activity."
He explains that the effectiveness of empirical treatment for respiratory tract infections (RTIs) with commonly available antimicrobials has been threatened by the development of microbial resistance and cross-resistance between treatments.
"Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profiling of antimicrobial agents is increasingly being used to select the most appropriate treatment and dosage schedules for RTIs. In addition to enhancing management strategies with existing treatments, these profiles have played a key part in identifying dosage schedules for the ketolides," he adds.
Dr. Drusano concludes that telithromycin offers "potent activity against both common and atypical pathogens involved in RTIs and does not induce resistance to the macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B antimicrobials in vitro."
Clinical Microbiology & Infection, 2001; 7: 24-29
"Pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic considerations in antimicrobial selection: focus on telithromycin"
All contents Copyright (c) 1995-2009 Doctor's Guide Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.
| 
