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A new first-in-class antibiotic has been launched. Telavancin (Vibativ) is now available for adults with nosocomial pneumonia known or suspected to be caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) when other antibiotics are unsuitable.

Telavancin causes cell death through two mechanisms:

€¢ Binding to and preventing polymerisation of components in the bacteria's cell wall

€¢ Depolarising the cell membrane.

Manufacturer Clinigen says that the dual mode of action means that a strain resistant to one mechanism may still respond to the other. The company says this dual action may also mean that telavancin is less prone to resistance than other antibiotics.

Administered intravenously once daily, telavancin does not require therapeutic drug level monitoring.