Sivextro approved for adult skin infections

(HealthDay)—The antibiotic Sivextro (tedizolid phosphate) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat adults with skin infections.

The drug, which may be taken intravenously or orally as a pill, is designed to treat infections including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the FDA said in a news release.

The drug's safety and effectiveness were evaluated in clinical studies involving more than 1,300 adults with serious-to-severe skin infections. The most common side effects recorded were nausea, headache, diarrhea, vomiting and dizziness. The drug was not evaluated among adults with neutropenia, the agency said.

Sivextro is the second new antibiotic for skin infections to be FDA-approved in the past month, following the May 23 approval of Dalvance (dalbavancin).

Sivextro is marketed by Cubist Pharmaceuticals, baaed in Lexington, Mass.