Is Generic Vancomycin Inferior to Branded Vancomycin?

Despite pharmacological equivalence, generic vancomycin preparations exhibited inferior antimicrobial activity compared with the brand product in an infection model.

According to WHO regulations, generic versions of intravenous antibiotics are not required to demonstrate therapeutic equivalence with the brand product because therapeutic equivalence is assumed from pharmaceutical equivalence. Such practice is generally accepted worldwide. To test whether this assumption is justified for vancomycin, researchers compared the pharmacokinetic characteristics and antibacterial activity of the original Eli Lilly vancomycin (VAN-Lilly) with those of the competitor generic preparations marketed in Colombia between November 2002 and November 2009.

In vitro antibacterial effects, protein binding, and pharmacokinetic properties were similar between the generic vancomycin preparations and VAN-Lilly. However, in a Sta…

Reviewing Author

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection

Thomas Glück, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsConsilium Infectiorum by InfectoPharm, Infection