2 New Drugs Fight Resistant Skin Infections

Two new drugs offer a possible treatment option for skin infections that increasingly are able to resist current antibiotics. The New England Journal of Medicine published study results June 4. One study looked at dalbavancin, which recently was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. More than 1,300 people with bacterial skin infections were randomly divided into 2 groups. One group received dalbavancin intravenously (in a vein). It was given once a week for 2 weeks. The other group received a standard antibiotic, vancomycin. This was given in a vein twice a day for 3 days. Doctors then could prescribe antibiotic pills for the next 10 to 14 days. For about 80% of each group, treatment halted fever and the spread of infection within 3 days. The second study focused on oritavancin. This drug is not yet approved.