Antimicrobial agents and chemotherapy
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Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. · May 2009
Randomized Controlled TrialST-246 antiviral efficacy in a nonhuman primate monkeypox model: determination of the minimal effective dose and human dose justification.
Therapeutics for the treatment of pathogenic orthopoxvirus infections are being sought. In the absence of patients with disease, animal models of orthopoxvirus disease are essential for evaluation of the efficacies of antiviral drugs and establishment of the appropriate dose and duration of human therapy. ⋯ In NHP, the administration of ST-246 at a dose of 10 mg/kg/day for 14 days resulted in levels of blood exposure comparable to the levels attained in humans administered 400 mg in the fed state. These results suggest that administration of an oral dosage of 400 mg once daily for 14 days will be effective for the prevention or treatment of smallpox or monkeypox infections in humans.
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Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. · Apr 2009
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyUrinary bactericidal activity of Doripenem versus that of levofloxacin in patients with complicated urinary tract infections or pyelonephritis.
The aim of this study was to investigate the urinary bactericidal titers (UBTs) and 24-h area under the UBT-versus-time curve (AUBT) of intravenous doripenem (500 mg every 8 h [q8h]), a new carbapenem, versus those of intravenous levofloxacin (250 mg q24h) in patients with complicated urinary tract infections (cUTIs) or pyelonephritis. UBTs and AUBTs are pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic parameters able to reflect the activity of an antimicrobial substance in the urine. Doripenem and levofloxacin show comparable urinary excretion of approximately 80% and are therefore registered for the treatment of UTIs. ⋯ For levofloxacin, microbiological failures correlated well with low UBTs and AUBTs, whereas for doripenem there was no correlation. From this study, a calculated target attainment rate for levofloxacin predicting therapeutic success in patients with UTIs approximated mean UBTs of 100 over 24 h or AUBTs of 2,240. Doripenem demonstrated excellent urinary bactericidal activity with the dose administered and appears to be a good alternative in the empirical treatment of cUTI.
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Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. · Apr 2009
Randomized Controlled TrialPopulation pharmacokinetics of high-dose, prolonged-infusion cefepime in adult critically ill patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia.
A population pharmacokinetic model of cefepime was constructed from data from adult critical care patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP). A total of 32 patients treated with high-dose cefepime, 2 g every 8 h (3-h infusion) or a renal function-adjusted equivalent dose, were randomized into two groups--26 for the initial model and 6 for model validation. Serum samples of cefepime were collected at steady state. ⋯ Time-concentration profiles were assessed for various dosing regimens, using 5,000-patient Monte Carlo simulations. Among the regimens, the likelihoods of 2 g every 8 h (3-h infusion) achieving free drug concentrations above the MIC for 50% of the dosing interval were 91.8%, 78.1%, and 50.3% for MICs of 8, 16, and 32 microg/ml, respectively. This study provides a pharmacokinetic model capable of predicting cefepime concentrations in critically ill patients with VAP.
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Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. · Feb 2009
Randomized Controlled TrialDrug-drug interaction study of ketoconazole and ritonavir-boosted saquinavir.
Saquinavir, a potent human immunodeficiency virus protease inhibitor, is extensively metabolized by CYP3A4. Saquinavir is coadministered with ritonavir, a strong CYP3A4 inhibitor, to boost its exposure. Ketoconazole is a potent CYP3A inhibitor. ⋯ The C(max) and AUC(0-12) of ketoconazole, dosed at 200 mg once daily, were increased by 45% (90% confidence interval = 32 to 59%) and 168% (90% confidence interval = 146 to 193%), respectively, after 2 weeks of concomitant dosing with ritonavir-boosted saquinavir (1,000 mg of saquinavir/100 mg of ritonavir given twice daily). The greater exposure to ketoconazole when given in combination with saquinavir/ritonavir was not associated with unacceptable safety or tolerability. No dose adjustment for saquinavir/ritonavir (1,000/100 mg twice daily) is required when coadministered with 200 mg of ketoconazole once daily, and high doses of ketoconazole (>200 mg/day) are not recommended.
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Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. · Apr 2008
Randomized Controlled TrialLarger vancomycin doses (at least four grams per day) are associated with an increased incidence of nephrotoxicity.
Recent guidelines recommend vancomycin trough concentrations between 15 and 20 mg/liter. In response, some clinicians increased vancomycin dosing to >or=4 g/day. Scant data are available regarding toxicities associated with higher vancomycin doses. ⋯ A significant difference in nephrotoxicity between patients receiving >or=4 g vancomycin/day, those receiving <4 g vancomycin/day, and those receiving linezolid was noted (34.6%, 10.9%, and 6.7%, respectively; P = 0.001), and Kaplan-Meier analysis identified significant differences in time to nephrotoxicity for the high-vancomycin-dose cohort compared to those for groups taking the standard dose and linezolid. In the Cox model, patients taking >or=4 g vancomycin/day, a total body weight of >or=101.4 kg, estimated creatinine clearance of =86.6 ml/min, and intensive care unit residence were independently associated with time to nephrotoxicity. The data suggest that higher-dose vancomycin regimens are associated with a higher likelihood of vancomycin-related nephrotoxicity.