Emerging drugs for treating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus

ABSTRACT

Introduction: In clinical practice, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) represents a major threat and has been associated with high rates of inadequate antibiotic treatment and significant increases in morbidity, mortality, and overall healthcare costs. The association between the prescription of an inappropriate or delayed antibiotic and impaired clinical outcomes has been widely described.

Areas covered: To address the threat of MRSA, many new therapeutic options with a peculiar activity against MRSA have been recently developed and approved. New agents are characterized by specific issues in terms of spectrum of activity, pharmacokinetics, risk of drug-drug interactions, and toxicity, with potential advantages that should be considered in everyday clinical practice.

Expert opinion: The most attractive characteristic of new drugs is represented by the broad spectrum of activity against multidrug-resistant pathogens; moreover, new compounds in most cases are characterized by favorable toxicity profiles compared with old drugs currently used in clinical practice. Some of the new antimicrobials will be also available as oral formulations, with the potential for oral switch, even in infections due to resistant pathogens. In particular conditions/populations (e.g. liver failure, renal disease, pregnancy, diabetic, children, and elderly), novel antibiotics with reduced toxicity could be an important option, including after hospital discharge.

KEYWORDS:

• MRSA
• antibiotics
• resistance
• Staphylococcus aureus

Article highlights

• MRSA has been associated with high rates of inadequate antibiotic treatment .

• Many new therapeutic options with a peculiar activity against MRSA have been recently developed and approved.

• New agents are characterized by specific issues with potential advantages in everyday clinical practice.

• New compounds in most cases are characterized by favorable toxicity profiles compared with old drugs .

• In particular conditions/populations novel antibiotics could be an important option.

Declaration of interest

M Bassetti has participated in advisory boards and/or received speaker honoraria from Achaogen, Angelini, Astellas, Bayer, Basilea, Biomerieux, Cidara, Gilead, Menarini, MSD, Nabriva, Paratek, Pfizer, Roche, Melinta, Shionogi, Tetraphase, VenatoRx and Vifor, and has received study grants from Angelini, Basilea, Astellas, Shionogi, Cidara, Melinta, Gilead, Pfizer, and MSD. M Wilcox has received the following: consulting fees from AiCuris, Astra-Zeneca, Bayer, Cerexa, Durata, The Medicines Company, Menarini, Motif Biosciences, Nabriva, Paratek, Pfizer, and Tetraphase; lecture fees from Allergan, Astra-Zeneca, and Pfizer; and grant support from Motif Biosciences, Nabriva, Paratek, and Pfizer. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

This paper was not funded.