Long-Acting, Off-Label Alternative for Serious Bacterial Infections
David Goodman-Meza, MD, PhD The long-acting lipoglycopeptides (laLGPs) dalbavancin and oritavancin, currently indicated for skin and skin structure infections, were as effective as daily standard-of care (SOC) antibiotics in step-down regimens for gram-positive endocarditis, bacteremia, osteomyelitis and septic arthritis, in an emulation trial of the off-label use.1 These agents may be of particular value for […]
VOWST Maintains Consistent Safety Profile in rCDI Patients with Comorbidities
At the 2025 MAD-ID meeting, Dianne Nguyen, MD, head of medical affairs for the pharmaceutical division at Nestlé Health Science, presented new data demonstrating the consistent safety profile of VOWST™ (fecal microbiota spores, live–brpk) in adults with recurrent Clostridioides difficile infection (rCDI), including those with significant comorbid conditions. The findings come from an integrated analysis […]
Reviewing the Efficacy and Safety of Omadacycline in Immunocompromised Patients
In a new study presented at MAD-ID, omadacycline was found to have an 86% clinical success rate across a wide-range of infections and pathogens in an immunocompromised population. “This is an effective antibiotic, particularly in this patient population,” study investigator Sean Van Helden, PharmD, Postdoctoral Infectious Diseases Pharmacotherapy fellow, Wayne State University, said. The most […]
PK/PD Modeling Advances Infectious Disease Care
At the 2025 MAD-ID meeting, Mark Sheets, PharmD, MSc, professor of pharmacy and pharmacology at Midwestern University and director of the Pharmacometrics Center of Excellence, facilitated a conversation about the evolving role of pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) modeling in infectious diseases, and why its clinical relevance is only just beginning to take hold. “PK/PD modeling—which has now […]
Bacteria Bioengineered to Express Healing Chemokine Demonstrates Promise for MDR Wound Infections
A strain of lactobacillus genetically engineered to express a human chemokine CXCL12 to enhance wound healing has demonstrated direct antibacterial activity in an in-vitro study1 with multi-drug resistant (MDR) pathogens isolated from wounds of Ukrainian war victims. The investigational topical ILP100, composed of CXCL12 expressing Limosilactobacillus reuteri,has been shown to enhance wound healing in mice;2 […]
Rethinking Fungal Blood Cultures in Sepsis Workups
A retrospective analysis from UF Health Shands Hospital questions the clinical value of routinely ordering fungal blood cultures alongside standard blood cultures during initial sepsis evaluations. The findings, presented by Logan Brock, PharmD, at MAD-ID 2025, show that fungal blood cultures rarely provide additional diagnostic information and take longer to yield results. The single-center study […]
Federal Government Changes Course Again on COVID-19 Vaccine Policy
Last week, the leaders of the National Institutes of Health, Health and Human Services, and FDA, announced the removal of the COVID-19 vaccine from the CDC immunization schedule for pregnant women and healthy children in a video social media post. “I couldn’t be more pleased to announce that, as of today, the COVID-19 vaccine for […]
Trimethoprim/Sulfamethoxazole and Minocycline Show Comparable Outcomes in Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Pneumonia
A retrospective single-center chart review presented at MAD-ID 2025 by Kimberly Leuthner, PharmD, FIDSA, evaluated the use of trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (TMP/SMX) versus minocycline for the treatment of Stenotrophomonas maltophilia pneumonia and found no difference in clinical outcomes between the two antibiotics. The study, conducted at Sunrise Hospital and University Medical Center of Southern Nevada, included adult […]
FDA Approves Moderna’s COVID-19 Vaccine
The federal agency has given the nod to the latest Moderna COVID-19 vaccine mRNA-1283 (mNEXSPIKE). This becomes the first vaccine approved under the new federal guidelines that change who is eligible for the immunizations. The vaccine is indicated for use in all adults 65 and older, as well as individuals aged 12-64 years with at […]
Oral Vancomycin “Tail” Offers No Added Benefit for CDI Prophylaxis
A study presented at MAD-ID 2025 by Jennifer (Jiye) Park, PharmD, evaluated the clinical utility of oral vancomycin as secondary prophylaxis for Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) and found no statistically significant benefit in extending its use beyond the completion of systemic antibiotics. The retrospective analysis, conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital between January 1 and December […]
