Posted by Michael Wonder on 19 Aug 2019
FDA approves new antibiotic to treat community-acquired bacterial pneumonia
19 August 2019 - The U.S. FDA today approved Xenleta (lefamulin) to treat adults with community-acquired bacterial pneumonia.
The safety and efficacy of Xenleta, taken either orally or intravenously, was evaluated in two clinical trials with a total of 1,289 patients with CABP. In these trials, treatment with Xenleta was compared to another antibiotic, moxifloxacin with or without linezolid. The trials showed that patients treated with Xenleta had similar rates of clinical success as those treated with moxifloxacin with or without linezolid.
Xenleta received FDA’s Qualified Infectious Disease Product (QIDP) designation. The QIDP designation is given to antibacterial and antifungal drug products intended to treat serious or life-threatening infections under the Generating Antibiotic Incentives Now (GAIN) title of the FDA Safety and Innovation Act. As part of QIDP designation, Xenleta was granted Priority Review under which the FDA’s goal is to take action on an application within an expedited time frame.
