Link: Eureka.
Surgical patients treated with Pfizer's novel antibiotic ZYVOX (linezolid; injection, tablets, and for oral suspension) had a significantly higher rate of microbiologic success (documented or presumed eradication) than those treated with intravenous (IV) vancomycin for surgical site infections (SSIs) caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), according to data published in the December issue of the American Journal of Surgery. In addition, the mean duration of IV treatment was significantly shorter (6 days) for patients who received ZYVOX than for those treated with vancomycin. Post-operative surgical site infections remain a major source of illness and number approximately 500,000 per year. In the post-hoc analysis, patients in the MRSA subgroup treated with ZYVOX had microbiologic success rates of 87 percent compared to 48 percent for patients on vancomycin. Clinical cure rates for ZYVOX-treated patients were comparable to those treated with vancomycin for all SSIs, including those caused by MRSA. ZYVOX, available in interchangeable IV and oral formulations, is the only oral therapy approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for MRSA infections.
