Bayer continues to focus on anti-infectives

Bayer HealthCare AG of Germany highlighted its antibiotic portfolio by reporting new data for several agents at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Disease held in Prague, Czech Republic.

Amongst these was BAY 73-7388, which is being developed in conjunction with originator Paratek Pharmaceuticals. The agent is the lead compound in a new class of antibiotics called aminomethylcyclines and is being evaluated for a wide range of clinically-prevalent infections, including those caused by Gram-positive, Gram-negative, atypical and anerobic bacteria, as well as those with multi-drug resistance.

Two studies presented at the conference also highlighted the clinical benefits of the antibiotic Avelox (moxifloxacin hydrochloride). In the MOXIRAPID trial, hospitalized patients with community-acquired pneumonia who took a sequential course of the intravenous/oral forms of the drug experienced faster symptom relief and earlier hospital discharge than patients treated with a combination of the antibiotics ceftriaxone and erythromycin. Furthermore, the second study reported on North American surveillance data that showed Avelox was still highly active against Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria that were becoming less susceptible to the antibiotic levofloxacin.