Wyeth reports ‘need for new CAP treatments’

Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, part of Wyeth, has reported that many of the strains of bacteria responsible for the contraction of community-acquired pneumonia are now becoming resistant to current treatments, resulting in a medical need for new therapy options.

The firm has recently announced plans to submit its own antibiotic Tygacil (tigecyline) with the relevant regulatory authorities as a treatment for the condition, with a supplemental new drug application to be filed with the US Food and Drug Administration.

CAP is defined as pneumonia acquired by patients away from a long-term care facility or hospital.

Tygacil has been the subject of two phase III clinical studies showing a comparable cure rate with levofloxacin, while the compound has also shown a comparable cure rate with imipenem/cilastatin in one of two primary endpoints in another trial involving patients with hospital-acquired or ventilator-associated pneumonia.

Thomas File, chief of infectious disease services for Summa Health System in Akron, said: “There is a need for new options as many strains of the most common bacteria causing CAP are now resistant to certain antibiotics and can complicate treatment.”

He added that the introduction of novel treatment options is always to be embraced as a means of tackling atypical microbes.

Tygacil was launched for use in the UK last July as a treatment for complicated soft tissue and skin infections, in addition to appendicitis and other complex intra-abdominal infections.