New Antibiotic Approved for Community-Acquired Bacterial Pneumonia

MONDAY, Aug. 19, 2019 (HealthDay News) -- Xenleta (lefamulin) has been approved to treat adults with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced today.

Dosing of Xenleta is either an oral administration of 600 mg every 12 hours or an intravenous administration of 150 mg every 12 hours for five to seven days. Patients can be started on either intravenous or oral therapy or can transition from intravenous to oral therapy to accelerate hospital discharge.

Approval was based on data from two clinical trials of 1,289 patients with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia comparing Xenleta taken orally or intravenously to treatment with moxifloxacin with or without linezolid. Clinical success rates of patients treated with Xenleta were similar to those of patients treated with moxifloxacin with or without linezolid.

The most commonly reported adverse reactions with Xenleta include diarrhea, nausea, injection site reactions, elevated liver enzymes, and vomiting. The FDA notes that Xenleta can cause a prolonged QT interval, so patients with arrythmias, those taking antiarrhythmic agents, and patients receiving other drugs that prolong the QT interval should avoid Xenleta. Patients with known hypersensitivity to lefamulin, other members of the pleuromutilin antibiotic class, or any components of Xenleta are also contraindicated. Health care providers should advise pregnant women and those who could become pregnant of the risk for fetal harm with Xenleta as shown in animal studies. Women who could become pregnant should use effective contraception during and two days after taking Xenleta.

Approval of Xenleta was granted to Nabriva Therapeutics. The drug is expected to be available in mid-September with a wholesale acquisition price of $205 per IV patient treatment day and $275 per oral patient treatment day.

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