ABSTRACT
Daptomycin (Cubicin) (formerly LY 146032) is the first in the new antibiotic class of the cyclic lipopeptides. Daptomycin is more active in vitro than glycopeptides against a wide range of Gram-positive aerobic as well as anaerobic organisms, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE). The initial development program started in the 1980s was terminated owing to treatment failures in endocarditis with 2 mg/kg and the occurrence of potential drug-induced myopathy. With the increasing prevalence of resistant Gram-positive microorganisms, in particular MRSA, clinical development of daptomycin was reinstigated in 1997 by evaluating once-daily dosing regimens. The official dosage recommendations are 4 mg/kg or 6 mg/kg once daily; however, currently much higher doses are used in clinical practice.
