New, Single-Dose Antibiotic is as Effective as a Twice-Daily Infusion Over 10 Days

Taking antibiotics can be a trial. You need to take them for a certain period of time, every day, for them to be effective. Now, though, scientists have created a single-dose antibiotic that may be just as effective as a twice-daily infusion given for up to 10 days.

Battling stubborn skin infections, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) can be a trial. That's why researchers tested the effectiveness of oritavancin, a new drug that could potentially help battle infections. The researchers enrolled nearly 2,000 patients in a three-year study, and found that oritavancin may be just as effective as other antibiotics taken over a longer period.

"The prolonged activity is what makes oritavancin distinctive," said G. Ralph Corey, one of the researchers, in a news release. "This drug has a long half-life, which allows for a single-dose treatment."

In fact, the researchers found that oritavancin is just as effective as vancomycin, which is a drug that requires two infusions a day for seven to 10 days. It shrunk the size of the lesion and reduced fever. In addition, both of the drugs were similar in rates of requiring a rescue antibiotic.

"Having a single-dose drug could potentially prevent hospitalizations or reduce the amount of time patients would spend in the hospital," said Corey in a news release.

Currently, the researchers plan to present their findings from the trials to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as part of the drug's approval process. The new drug could be a boon for fighting infections with the use of antibiotics. As the number of antibiotic-resistant infections grow, it's more important than ever to develop new ways and new treatments to combat them.

The findings are published in the New England Journal of Medicine.