Antibiotic Treatment Cubicin® Granted Marketing Approval
Chiron Corporation (Emeryville, Calif) announces that the European Commission has granted marketing approval for Cubicin® (daptomycin), an intravenous (IV) antibiotic. The marketing approval was granted in the 25 member states of the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway. Cubicin is indicated for the treatment of complicated skin and soft tissue infections (cSSTIs) caused by gram-positive bacteria under the approval.
Cubicin is the first of a new class of antibiotics called cyclic lipopeptides. Its mechanism of action, distinct from any other antibiotic, involves binding to the cell membrane of gram-positive bacteria, causing depolarization and leading to inhibition of protein, DNA, and RNA synthesis. This results in bacterial cell death.
Two randomized, controlled clinical trials studied the efficacy and safety of 4 mg/kg once-daily Cubicin in cSSTIs in adults compared to vancomycin or semi-synthetic penicillin treatments. In both studies, Cubicin was shown to be as effective as the comparator agents. Cubicin has been shown to be effective clinically in cSSTIs caused by the following organisms: Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis, and Streptococcus pyogenes.
Visit http://www.chiron.com for more information.
Longport Inc. Establishes National Distribution Footprint for Episcan Longport Inc. (Glen Mills, Pa) announces the company has signed distribution agreements with 3 companies for the Episcan I-200—Specialty Medical Products (Malvern, Pa), Heritage Medical Products (Lancaster, Ohio), and All Imaging Systems (Irvine, Calif).
The Episcan I-200 uses a 20 MHz center frequency ultrasound probe and is suitable for high resolution imaging of the skin and superficial soft tissue to a depth of approximately 2 cm. The Episcan images the skin and subcutaneous tissue at a microscopic level, providing the clinician valuable information conveniently and economically.
The Episcan I-200 can produce high-resolution images (up to 65 microns), annotate images, import digital photographs, and make linear/area measurements.
Visit http://www.longportinc.com for more information.
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