Skin infections caused by MRSA are cured more often when treated with Pfiz...( New York June 1 2005 Pfizer's antibi...),Health

New York, June 1, 2005 Pfizer's antibiotic ZYVOX (linezolid injection, tablets, and for oral suspension) is more effective than vancomycin for the treatment of complicated skin and soft tissue infections (cSSTIs) caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), according to the largest MRSA cSSTIs study to date published in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy. Of the total study population, including those treated for methicillin-susceptible infections, the number of patients cured with ZYVOX was comparable to those cured with vancomycin. In addition, patients taking ZYVOX spent up to five fewer days on IV treatment because of its availability as a pill. Available in interchangeable IV and oral formulations, ZYVOX is the only oral medicine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for MRSA infections.

This study involved 1,180 patients with cSSTIs, 361 of whom had confirmed MRSA infections. MRSA is a serious, multidrug-resistant infection, which is on the rise and can lead to prolonged hospitalization, along with increased morbidity, mortality and cost. Patients in the microbiologically evaluable MRSA subgroup treated with ZYVOX had better microbiologic cure rates: 88.6 percent for ZYVOX patients vs. 66.9 percent for vancomycin patients.

"In this study, ZYVOX was shown to be better than traditional vancomycin therapy in improving outcomes for patients with serious MRSA infections," said Dr. John Weigelt, lead investigator of the study, and professor and vice chairman of the department of surgery at the Medical College of Wisconsin. "These data also reinforce the value of having a pill for patients which may allow patients to leave the hospital sooner on oral therapy."

Because of the oral availability of ZYVOX, patients in the ZYVOX arm had up to five fewer days on IV therapy than patients treated with vancomycin. More than half of study participants (52 percent) treated with ZYVOX began treatment on the oral f
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1-Jun-2005

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