FDA Panel Backs Theravance's MRSA Antibiotic - WSJ.com
WASHINGTON -- A federal advisory panel backed a proposed Theravance Inc. antibiotic designed to treat serious skin infections, including some caused by a type of staph bacterium known as MRSA that is resistant to many antibiotics.The drug, telavancin, was considered Wednesday by a Food and Drug Administration panel of outside medical experts that was called to make recommendations to the agency about whether it thinks the drug should be approved.The panel voted 21 to 5 in favor of a question asking whether the data presented demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of telavancin for the treatment of skin infections, which amounts to a recommendation the agency approve the drug. Such skin infections can be caused by MRSA, or methicillin-resistant staph aureus, as well as other types of bacteria. MRSA has sparked concern as the "superbug" has moved into community settings like schools and locker rooms in recent years after once being largely confined to hospital settings.
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