EMA recommends changes to Rxing info for vancomycin

The European Medicines Agency has recommended changes to prescribing information for the antibiotic vancomycin to ensure appropriate use in the treatment of serious infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria.

Vancomycin has been used since the 1950s and, to this day, it remains an important therapeutic option for the treatment of serious infections. The Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) reviewed the available data on vancomycin medicines given by infusion (drip) and injection and taken by mouth as part of its strategy to update the product information of old antibacterial agents in the context of the fight against antimicrobial resistance.

The CHMP concluded that infusion of vancomycin can continue to be used for the treatment of serious infections caused by certain bacteria including MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) in patients of all ages. Vancomycin can also be used to prevent bacterial endocarditis (an infection in the heart) in patients undergoing surgery and to treat infections in patients undergoing a procedure called peritoneal dialysis. When taken by mouth, use should be limited to the treatment of Clostridium difficile infections (CDI).