Ceftaroline fosamil: A novel anti-Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus cephalosporin

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pose tremendous challenges to the health care system and have emerged as major concern both in and out of the hospital environment. It can cause serious infections including skin and soft tissue infections, wound infections, bacteremia, pneumonia, and endocarditis. Patients at hospitals with open wounds, invasive devices, and weakened immune systems are at greater risk of infection with MRSA. Another concern has been the emergence of highly virulent community-associated MRSA which cause skin infections, sepsis, toxic shock syndrome, and necrotizing pneumonia.[1] The preferred drugs for the treatment of MRSA infections include vancomycin and linezolid.[2] However, there have been many reports of strains of MRSA that have developed resistance to vancomycin.[1] This is an important concern since the already limited treatment options for serious MRSA infections may become more limited due to the increase in resistance to vancomycin. Although linezolid is highly active against MRSA, it is bacteriostatic and may result in adverse effects like thrombocytopenia and myelosuppression.[3] Complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI), which are common in diabetes mellitus and peripheral vascular diseases, may also require coverage for MRSA as well as Gram-negative pathogens. The current situation indicates a need for continued development of effective antibacterials to combat-resistant infections. Ceftaroline fosamil is a prodrug form of a new semi-synthetic broad spectrum cephalosporin with bactericidal activity against MRSA and multidrug-resistant Streptococcus pneumonia and some Gram-negative organisms. It has been placed in a separate and unnamed subclass of the parenteral cephem class by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute.[4] The ability of ceftaroline to bind the penicillin-binding protein (PBP)2a, an MRSA-specific protein, makes it unique among cephalosporins.[4] The efficacy of ceftaroline fosamil in the treatment of experimental endocarditis, pneumonia, myositis, and osteomyelitis has been demonstrated in animal models, while effi cacy in the treatment of complicated skin and soft tissue infections and community-acquired pneumonia has been demonstrated in humans.[5]