Wyeth's Tygacil cleared in European Union

US drug major Wyeth says that its broad-spectrum antibiotic Tygacil (tigecycline) has become the first-in-class glycylcycline to be approved in Europe for use in complicated infections of the skin and soft tissue and complicated intra-abdominal infections acquired either in the hospital or in the community.

Tygacil has in vitro activity against many gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, including resistant strains such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant enterococcus. New Jersey-headquartered Wyeth noted that there are an estimated three million hospital-acquired infections per year in the extended European Union, resulting in 50,000 deaths.

The agent is one of a limited number of novel broad-spectrum antibiotics available in Europe. It is active against many gram-positive bacteria, such as MRSA, and common gram-negative pathogens, such as Escherichia coli. It can be used as empiric monotherapy (before the bacteria are identified) in the treatment of skin or intra-abdominal infections, especially those that may be caused by a mixture of different bacteria.