Switch therapy in hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia: tigecycline vs. levofloxacin

Background

Switch therapy is a management approach combining early discontinuation of intravenous (IV) antibiotics, switch to oral antibiotics, and early hospital discharge. This analysis compares switch therapy using tigecycline versus levofloxacin in hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP).

Methods

A prospective, randomized, double-blind, Phase 3 clinical trial; patients were randomized to IV tigecycline (100 mg, then 50 mg q12h) or IV levofloxacin (500 mg q24h). Objective criteria were used to define time to switch therapy; patients were switched to oral levofloxacin after ≥6 IV doses if criteria met. Switch therapy outcomes were assessed within the clinically evaluable (CE) population.

Results

In the CE population, 138 patients were treated with IV tigecycline and 156 were treated with IV levofloxacin. The proportion of the population that met switch therapy criteria was 67.4% (93/138) for tigecycline and 66.7% (104/156) for levofloxacin. The proportion that actually switched to oral therapy was 89.9% (124/138) for tigecycline and 87.8% (137/156) for levofloxacin. Median time to actual switch therapy was 5.0 days each for tigecycline and levofloxacin. Clinical cure rates for patients who switched were 96.8% for tigecycline and 95.6% for levofloxacin. Corresponding cure rates for those that met switch criteria were 95.7% for tigecycline and 92.3% for levofloxacin.

Conclusions

Switch therapy outcomes in hospitalized patients with CAP receiving initial IV therapy with tigecycline are comparable to those of patients receiving initial IV therapy with levofloxacin. These data support the use of IV tigecycline in hospitalized patients with CAP when the switch therapy approach is considered.

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier

NCT00081575

Antibiotic stewardship: overcoming implementation barriers

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Antimicrobial stewardship is now recognized as a formal strategy for curbing the upward trend in antibiotic resistance. Literature on antimicrobial stewardship has focused on areas of strategic importance and operational delivery. A number of barriers have been recognized in the implementation of successful programs. These include lack of physician participation, lack of diagnostic facility, absence of formal mechanism of data collection, variation between countries, and lack of cooperative strategies. In this review, we suggest strategies to overcome these barriers.

RECENT FINDINGS

In the last few years, it has been recognized that an executive program is necessary for successful implementation of strategies to control the growing antibiotic resistance. Efforts have been made at higher levels of government through organizations such as the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The need for community healthcare involvement has also been recognized. At a local level, strategies to promote cooperation between various committees (e.g. infection control and antimicrobial management teams) have been proposed and adopting antibiotic care bundles as part of patient safety and healthcare is being explored.

SUMMARY

We suggest that executive level planning, local cooperation, sustained education, emphasis on de-escalation, and use of care bundles could stem the tide of growing resistance.