Telvancin non-inferior in HAP/VAP studies

California, USA-based biopharmaceutical firm Theravance says that its developmental antibiotic telavancin has met key non-inferiority endpoints in hospital-acquired pneumonia studies. Specifically, the drug, which is being co-developed with Japan's Astellas, achieved a cure rate of 82.7% in clinically-evaluable patients, compared with an 80.9% rate seen in those treated with vancomycin.

The Attain 1 and 2 studies compared a once-daily 10mg/kg telvancin injection with a twice-daily intravenous administration of 1g vancomycin in 1,503 patients with either HAP or ventilator-associated pneumonia. Subjects suffering from suspected or confirmed polymicrobial infections were also treated with aztreonam, pipercillin-tazobactam and or metronidazole.

In the 464 patients suffering confirmed methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections, telvancin achieved a cure rate of 82% which, although numerically higher than the 74% rate seen with the comparator drug, did not reach a level of statistical significance. In addition, in those suffering VAP, the clinical cure rates for the telvancin and vancomycin were 80% and 68%, respectively.