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Ceftaroline was an effective option for salvage treatment of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteremia, a literature review in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy has found.
Pharmacists from St. Louis College of Pharmacy and University of Texas summarized existing data regarding the use of ceftaroline as salvage monotherapy for persistent MRSA bacteremia by searching PubMed from January 1980 to June 2016. The search returned 23 articles for evaluation, of which four retrospective case series were included; no randomized controlled trials exist to date.
In the four trials, most patients received ≥4 days of a MRSA-appropriate antibiotic prior to ceftaroline and were able to clear bacteremia within 3 days. The rationales for using ceftaroline were either progression of disease or non-response to current therapy. A higher off-label dosing of ceftaroline (up to 600mg every 8 hours) is typically used to reach target pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters.
The study authors noted inadequate reports of adverse events due to a lack of follow-up. Neutropenia, however, was seen with extended use.
Overall, treatment options for persistent MRSA bacteremia “remain few and far between,” the authors concluded. Ceftaroline monotherapy was found to be an effective option as salvage therapy for MRSA bacteremia. But due to inadequate follow-up in these reports, the adverse effects of prolonged ceftaroline use have not been well defined.
For more information visit aop.sagepub.com.
