Superior Treatment for Deadly Form of Pneumonia

An analysis of two studies has shown that a relatively new drug called linezolid (Zyvox) is about 40% more effective than the conventionally used vancomycin in treating ventilator-associated pneumonia caused by methicillin-resistent Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The results were reported in the March 8 issue of Intensive Care Medicine.

Primarily associated with intensive care units, this strain is becoming increasingly common in the general population, particularly in children. Hospitalized patients often develop bacterial pneumonia but patients using ventilators are especially vulnerable, because bacteria can enter the lungs through the breathing tube. Complicating the issue is the fact that many bacteria have become resistant to the usual arsenal of antibiotic treatments. Evidence has suggested that vancomycin does not properly infiltrate the lungs and therefore may not be the most effective treatment.

The studies involved a comparison on the use of the two drugs to treat 544 patients with hospital-associated pneumonia. Linezolid was about 15% more effective in eradicating the infection than vancomycin. However, the results from a subset of patients with MRSA showed that linezolid was more than 40% more effective in curing the infection and those patients were 22% more likely to survive than those given vancomycin.

"The main downside about linezolid is that it's more expensive than vancomycin so one has to balance the cost against the potential improved efficacy,” said Marin H. Kollef, M.D., associate professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine (St. Louis, MO, USA) and one of the authors of the paper.




Related Links:
Washington Univ.