Drugs Information Center(DIC)

ZEFTERA the only approved antibiotic in its class (cephalosporin) by Health Canada to demonstrate efficacy against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), a growing public health concern in both hospital and community settings.ZEFTERA is specially designed to tightly bind to and inhibit targets in both gram-positive (including MRSA) and gram-negative bacteria. The approval of ZEFTERA for the treatment of complicated skin and skin structure infections, including non-limb threatening diabetic foot infections without concomitant osteomyelitis, was based on results of two Phase III, double-blind, randomized, multi-centre, global trials involving 817 patients with cSSSI 2,3. The second Phase III trial included patients with non-limb threatening diabetic foot infections (mild, moderate or severe)3. Pathogens identified at baseline in this subpopulation included MSSA (38 per cent), MRSA (13 per cent), E. cloacae (9 per cent), and P.mirabilis (7 per cent). The results demonstrat...

A peripherally acting mu-opioid receptor antagonist, wasapproved by the US FDA to accelerate thetime to gastrointestinal recovery followingbowel resection surgery. It is the firstpharmacotherapy to be approved for thisapplication. Ileus — a temporary impairment ofgastrointestinal function — is a complicationthat affects almost all patients that undergomajor bowel surgery. It results in abdominaldiscomfort, nausea and vomiting, and is amajor reason for prolonged hospitalization. The pathophysiology of post-operative ileus(POI) is complex. An important contributoryfactor is the activation of m-opioid receptors in the gastrointestinal tract by endogenous opioidsthat are released in response to the stress causedby surgery, as well as by opioid analgesics thatare the most common treatment for pain inpatients undergoing surgery1,2. Activation ofthese peripheral m-opioid receptors leads to anincrease in colonic muscle tone and a reductionin propulsive activity in the gastrointestinaltract. C...