Tygacil, known chemically as tigecycline, is an intravenous antibiotic, for use in treating complicated abdominal and skin infections in adults.
Reports claim new antibiotics are urgently needed with bacteria becoming more resistant to today's drugs.
The Food and Drug Administration calls Tygacil the first in a new class of antibiotics derived from the older tetracycline family.
Being a broad-spectrum antibiotic, it fights a wide-range of bacteria, including the germ called methicillin-resistant staph aureus, or MRSA. Once spread mostly in hospitals, this hard-to-treat bacterium is increasingly spread in the community as well, such as between athletes.
Drug manufacturer Wyeth Pharmaceuticals says Tygacil can be used as first-line therapy, and has proved comparable to some two-drug combination therapies now in use.
The most common side effects are nausea and vomiting. But, Cox says Tygacil has additional warnings similar to tetracyclines such as...not for use in pregnant women, and may discolor teeth if given to young children. The drug should be administered with caution in patients allergic to tetracyclines.
