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The antistaphylococcal antibiotic daptomycin is approved for use at moderate doses in patients with skin infections. In a manufacturer-sponsored, international, multicenter, randomized open-label trial, researchers examined its efficacy at higher doses against bacteremic infections, including endocarditis.
They randomized 246 patients with documented staphylococcal bacteremia to receive daptomycin (6 mg/kg/day intravenously) or standard therapy consisting of an antistaphylococcal penicillin or vancomycin. Virtually all patients on standard treatment also received gentamicin. About 40% of patients in both arms had methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. Median treatment length was about 2 weeks.
Six weeks after the end o…