Influence of age on the clinical efficacy of tigecycline in severely ill patients

Population Pharmacokinetics of Tigecycline: A Systematic Review

Although tigecycline is widely used in clinical practice, its efficiency and optimal dosage regimens remain controversial. The purpose of this article was to help guide tigecycline dosing in different patient subpopulations through comparing the published population pharmacokinetic models of tigecycline, as well as summarizing and determining the potential covariates that markedly influence tigecycline pharmacokinetics. In this review, literature was systematically searched from the PubMed database from inception to March 2022. The articles focusing on population pharmacokinetics for tigecycline in healthy volunteers or patients were included; finally, a total of eight studies were included in this review. NONMEM methods were used in five studies to generate the population pharmacokinetic models. Tigecycline pharmacokinetics were mostly described by a two-compartment model in these included studies. Estimated clearance and volumes of distribution of tigecycline at steady state (Vss) varied widely in different target patient populations, with a range of 7.5–23.1 L/h and 212.7–1087.7 L, respectively. Body-weight and creatinine clearance were the most important predictors of clearance in these studies, while other predictors include age, gender, bilirubin and aspartate aminotransferase. In conclusion, this review showed the large variability of tigecycline population pharmacokinetics, which can provide guide dosing in different target populations. For clinicians, the individual dosing adjustment should be based not only on the indication and pathogen susceptibility but also on the potential important predictors. However, more studies were needed to confirm the necessity of modified dosage regimens in different patient subpopulations.

Antimicrobial Management of Complicated Skin and Soft Tissue Infections in an Era of Emerging Multi-Drug Resistance: Perspectives from 5 Gulf Countries

The number of complicated skin and soft tissue infections (cSSTIs) in the Arabian Gulf region has risen in recent years, particularly those caused by multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens. The high prevalence of diabetes, obesity, and associated cardio-metabolic comorbidities in the region renders medical and surgical management of cSSTI patients with MDR infections challenging. An experienced panel of international and regional cSSTI experts (consensus group on cSSTIs) was convened to discuss clinical considerations for MDR infections from societal, antimicrobial stewardship, and cost perspectives, to develop best practice recommendations. This article discusses antibiotic therapies suitable for treating MDR cSSTIs in patients from the Gulf region and recommends that these should be tailored according to the local bacterial ecology by country and region. The article highlights the need for a comprehensive patient treatment pathway and defined roles of each of the multidisciplinary teams involved with managing patients with MDR cSSTIs. Aligned and inclusive definitions of cSSTIs for clinical and research purposes, thorough and updated epidemiological data on cSSTIs and methicillin-resistant <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> in the region, clearcut indications of novel agents and comprehensive assessment of comparative data should be factored into decision-making are necessary.