Mary L. Townsend¹, Dustin Wilson², Melanie Pound¹ and Richard Drew^3,4

¹Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Campbell University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Buies Creek, NC, USA. ²Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Campbell University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Buies Creek, NC, USA. ³Associate Professor (Infectious Diseases), Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA. ⁴Professor of Pharmacy Practice, Campbell University College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Buies Creek, NC, USA.

Abstract

Oritavancin is a semisynthetic lipoglycopeptide with in vitro activity against a variety of aerobic Gram-positive pathogens (including drug-resistant forms of staphylococci, streptococci, and enterococci) and select anaerobic organisms. Available published clinical efficacy and safety studies in humans to date focus primarily in the treatment of complicated skin and skin structure infections. While oritavancin doses in these studies varied, single daily doses of 200 mg (300 mg in patients >100 kg) for 3–7 days have demonstrated efficacy similar to comparators (such as vancomycin followed by cephalexin). The most frequent adverse events reported to date include gastrointestinal complaints, insomnia, dizziness, itching, and rash. Further safety and efficacy data are needed to better define its potential place in therapy.