Prolonging the infusion of meropenem over 3 hours increases the percentage of the dosing interval that drug concentrations remain above the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC), thereby maximizing the pharmacodynamics of this agent and adhering to drug stability constraints. Monte Carlo simulation was employed to determine pharmacodynamic target attainment rates for several prolonged infusion (PI) meropenem dosage regimens as compared with the traditional 30-minute infusion (TI) against Enterobacteriaceae, Acinetobacter species, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa populations. Percent time above the MIC (%T>MIC) exposures for 1000 mg TI q8h, 2000 mg TI q8h, 500 mg PI q8h, 1000 mg PI q12h, 1000 mg PI q8h, 2000 mg PI q12h, and 2000 mg PI q8h were simulated for 10,000 subjects. Variability in pharmacokinetic parameters and MIC distributions were derived from studies in healthy volunteers and the MYSTIC surveillance program, respectively. The probabilities of attaining bacteriostatic (30% T>MIC) and bactericidal (50% T>MIC) exposures were high for all dosage regimens against populations of Enterobacteriaceae. Against Acinetobacter species and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, the 2000-mg PI q8h dosage regimen provided the highest target attainment rates. For mild to moderate infections caused by Enterobacteriaceae, prolonged infusion regimens of 500 mg PI q8h and 1000 mg PI q12h would provide equivalent target attainment rates to the traditional 30-minute infusion while requiring less drug over 24 hours. For more serious infections presumably caused by Acinetobacter species or Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a dose of 2000 mg PI q8h is recommended because of its high bactericidal target attainment rate against these pathogens. Further study of these dosage recommendations in clinical trials is suggested.

These data reveal the potent in vivo bactericidal activity of daptomycin against MRSA and Enterococcus species using clinically achievable drug exposures (dose 4-6 mg/kg per day) currently under investigation in man.

Prolonging the percentage of time above the minimum inhibitory concentration is a feasible option with meropenem; however, further studies are needed to quantify how this increase translates to efficacy.

The new ketolide telithromycin has potent in vitro activity against Streptococcus pneumoniae, including strains resistant to penicillin, macrolides, and fluoroquinolones. The aim of the present study was to define the pharmacodynamic profile of telithromycin against S. pneumoniae strains with various resistance profiles in an in vivo system. Ten S. pneumoniae strains were studied; seven exhibited penicillin resistance, six demonstrated macrolide resistance, and two exhibited gatifloxacin resistance. The telithromycin MICs for all isolates were <0.5 g/ml. Using the murine thigh infection model, CD-1/ICR mice were rendered neutropenic and were then inoculated with 10 5 to 10 6 CFU of S. pneumoniae per thigh. Telithromycin was administered orally at doses ranging from 25 to 800 mg/kg of body weight/day, with the doses administered one, two, three, or four times a day. The activity of telithromycin was assessed by determination of the change in the bacterial density in thigh tissue after 24 h of treatment for each treatment group and the untreated controls. Pharmacokinetic studies of telithromycin were conducted in infected, neutropenic animals. The levels of protein binding by telithromycin in mice ranged from 70 to 95% over the observed range of pharmacokinetic concentrations. By using either the total or the free concentrations of telithromycin, the area under the concentration-time curve (AUC)/MIC ratio was a strong determinant of the response against S. pneumoniae, regardless of the phenotypic resistance profile. The maximal efficacy (the 95% effective dose) against this cohort of S. pneumoniae strains and bacterial inhibition (stasis) of telithromycin were predicted by ratios of the AUC for the free drug concentration/MIC of approximately 1,000 and 200, respectively.Telithromycin, the first of the new class of antimicrobials to be developed for clinical use, the ketolides, possesses potent activity against a variety of pathogenic gram-positive species, including penicillin-and macrolide-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae strains (1, 2). Telithromycin is a semisynthetic derivative of the 14-membered-ring macrolide parent compound erythromycin A. As a consequence of chemical modifications made to the parent compound, telithromycin is highly acid stable, has an extended half-life, and lacks the ability to induce resistance to other macrolides (4). Additionally, these alterations allow telithromycin to retain activity against macrolide-resistant isolates due to the presence of the mefA and/or the ermB gene and against S. pneumoniae strains with 23S rRNA mutations (4, 14). Typical telithromycin MICs at which 90% of isolates are inhibited (MIC 90 ) for S. pneumoniae range from 0.125 to 0.5 g/ml for both susceptible and penicillinand/or macrolide-resistant S. pneumoniae isolates (1,7,11,22). Telithromycin is also efficacious against fluoroquinolone-resistant S. pneumoniae strains; the MIC 90 for these isolates remain at equally low levels of 0.25 to 0.5 g/ml (9, 15).While telithromycin has activity against pneumococc...

Background: Antimicrobial efficacy is dependent on the ability of the agent to reach the site of infection. To assess the bronchopulmonary drug disposition of a novel ketolide, telithromycin (TEL), the epithelial lining fluid (ELF) and alveolar macrophage (AM) concentrations were utilized as a surrogate marker for lung penetration. Methods: Adult subjects scheduled for diagnostic bronchoscopy received oral TEL 800 mg once daily for 5 days. Plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) samples were collected 2, 8, 12, or 24 h after the last TEL dose. TEL concentrations in the ELF and AM were determined using a validated HPLC assay. ELF drug concentrations were calculated using the urea dilution method. Results: Seventeen subjects with a mean age 65 ± 13 years and a mean weight of 81 ± 25 kg completed this open-label study. The median (range) TEL concentrations in plasma and ELF, respectively, were 1.09 mg/l (1.00–4.81) and 3.91 mg/l (2.64–9.59) at 2 h (n = 6), 0.48 and 1.09 mg/l at 8 h (n = 1), 0.65 mg/l (0.18–1.55) and 1.81 mg/l (0.61–10.0) at 12 h (n = 5), and 0.11 mg/l (0.09–0.24) and 0.69 mg/l (0.15–1.58) at 24 h (n = 5). The median AM concentrations obtained from these subjects were 53.35 mg/l at 2 h, 32.55 mg/l at 8 h, 65.96 mg/l at 12 h, and 26.43 mg/l at 24 h. Overall TEL was well tolerated. No discontinuation was required due to an adverse event. Conclusions: TEL displayed high intrapulmonary penetration with ELF concentrations exceeding that of plasma at all time points. AM intracellular concentrations were multiple times higher than in the ELF and plasma. These data support the clinical efficacy of TEL against intracellular and extracellular pathogens, particularly with Streptococcus pneumoniae having an MIC₉₀ well below achievable concentrations at the site of infection.