FDA approves GSK's Altabax for impetigo

UK drug major GlaxoSmithKline says that the US Food and Drug Administration has approved its antibacterial Altabax (retapamulin ointment) for the topical treatment of impetigo due to susceptible strains of Staphylococcus aureus or Streptococcus pyogenes, the two most common types of bacteria in this kind of infection.

Altabax represents the first new class of prescription topical antibacterials to be approved by the FDA in nearly two decades. The agent is indicated for use twice daily for a five-day period in patients nine months of age and older. Other prescription topical antibacterials are used as much as three times daily for up to 12 days.

Stan Block, president of Kentucky Pediatric and Adult Research, noted that, "in vitro, this new topical antibiotic has shown a low potential for the development of resistance, possibly because it works in a unique manner compared to other antibiotics." Impetigo is a highly contagious infection of the top layers of the skin and is most common among infants and children aged two to six years.