Linezolid for the treatment of drug-resistant infections

Abstract

Multidrug-resistant pathogens have become increasingly common in contemporary healthcare. Specific to Gram-positive pathogens, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is of particular concern, as it has been associated with increased hospital length of stay, higher healthcare expenditures and poorer outcomes. To date, linezolid is the first and only oxazolidinone approved by the US FDA for the treatment of infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens, including MRSA. This article will serve as a comprehensive review of linezolid, including an overview of the current market and its in vitro activity, with an in-depth review of its pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic profile. Emphasis will be placed on clinical data for the drug, both on- and off-label. The article will conclude with a brief overview of linezolid’s pharmacoeconomic implications and safety profile, followed by a commentary and 5-year prospective analysis remarking on the future of the antimicrobial field as it relates to MRSA.

Keywords::

• CNS
• complicated skin and skin-structure infection
• endocarditis
• linezolid
• methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
• Mycobacterium
• osteomyelitis
• pneumonia

Financial & competing interests disclosure

WJ Peppard is on the Visiting Speaker’s Bureau for Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, the owner of Linezolid. NA Ledeboer has received honoraria from Pfizer and has consulted for Pfizer. JA Weigelt is a speaker for 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.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.