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A population pharmacokinetic analysis of delamanid and its major metabolite DM-6705 was conducted to characterize the pharmacokinetics of delamanid and DM-6705 in pediatric participants with multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). Data from participants between the ages of 0.67 and 17 years, enrolled in 2 clinical trials, were utilized for the analysis. The final data set contained 634 delamanid and 706 DM-6705 valid plasma concentrations from 37 children. A transit model with three compartments best described the absorption of delamanid. Two-compartment models for each component with linear elimination were selected to characterize the dispositions of delamanid and DM-6705, respectively. The covariates included in the model were body weight on the apparent volume of distribution and apparent clearance (for both delamanid and DM-6705); formulation (dispersible versus film-coated tablet) on the mean absorption time; age, formulation, and dose on the bioavailability of delamanid; and age on the fraction of delamanid metabolized to DM-6705. Based on the simulations, doses for participants within different age/weight groups that result in delamanid exposure comparable to that in adults following the approved adult dose were calculated. By concentration-QTc (QTcB [QT corrected by Bazett's formula]) analysis, a significant positive correlation was detected with concentrations of DM-6705. However, the model-predicted upper bounds of the 90% confidence intervals of ΔQTc values were <10 ms at the simulated maximum concentration ( C max ) of DM-6705 following the administration of the maximum doses simulated. This suggests that the effect on the QT interval following the proposed dosing is unlikely to be clinically meaningful in children with MDR-TB who receive delamanid.

Tedizolid phosphate is approved for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infection (ABSSSI) caused by Gram-positive bacteria in the United States, Europe, and other countries. In this multicenter, double-blind, phase 3 study, 598 adult ABSSSI patients in China, Taiwan, the Philippines, and the United States were randomized to receive 200 mg of tedizolid, intravenously (i.v.)/orally (p.o.), once daily for 6 days or 600 mg of linezolid, i.v./p.o. twice daily for 10 days. The primary endpoint was early clinical response rate at 48 to 72 h. Secondary endpoints included programmatic and investigator-assessed outcomes at end-of-therapy (EOT) and posttherapy evaluation (PTE) visits. Safety was also evaluated. In the intent-to-treat (ITT) population, 75.3% of tedizolid-treated patients and 79.9% of linezolid-treated patients were early responders (treatment difference, -4.6%; 95% confidence interval [CI], -11.2, 2.2). After exclusion of patients who never received the study drug (tedizolid, n  = 8; linezolid, n  = 1; modified ITT), comparable early response rates were observed (tedizolid, 77.4%; linezolid, 80.1%; treatment difference, -2.7%; 95% CI, -9.4, 3.9). Secondary endpoints showed high and similar clinical success rates in the ITT and clinically evaluable (CE) populations at EOT and PTE visits (e.g., CE-PTE for tedizolid, 90.4%; for linezolid, 93.5%). Both drugs were well tolerated, and no death occurred. Eight patients experienced phlebitis with tedizolid while none did with linezolid; hence, drug-related treatment-emergent adverse events were reported in a slightly higher proportion in the tedizolid (20.9%) arm than in the linezolid arm (15.8%). The study demonstrated that tedizolid in a primarily Asian population was an efficacious and well-tolerated treatment option for ABSSSI patients. (This study has been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under registration no. NCT02066402.)., (Copyright © 2019 Lv et al.)

Tuberculosis (TB) treatment is long and requires multiple drugs, likely due to various phenotypes of TB bacilli with variable drug susceptibilities. Drugs with broad activity are urgently needed. This study aimed to evaluate delamanid's activity against growing or dormant bacilli in vitro as well as in vivo Cultures of Mycobacterium bovis BCG Tokyo under aerobic and anaerobic conditions were used to study the activity of delamanid against growing and dormant bacilli, respectively. Delamanid exhibited significant bactericidal activity against replicating and dormant bacilli at or above concentrations of 0.016 and 0.4 mg/liter, respectively. To evaluate delamanid's antituberculosis activity in vivo , we used a guinea pig model of chronic TB infection in which the lung lesions were similar to those in human TB disease. In the guinea pig TB model, a daily dose of 100 mg delamanid/kg of body weight for 4 or 8 weeks demonstrated strong bactericidal activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis Importantly, histological examination revealed that delamanid killed TB bacilli within hypoxic lesions of the lung. The combination regimens containing delamanid with rifampin and pyrazinamide or delamanid with levofloxacin, ethionamide, pyrazinamide, and amikacin were more effective than the standard regimen (rifampin, isoniazid, and pyrazinamide). Our data show that delamanid is effective in killing both growing and dormant bacilli in vitro and in the guinea pig TB model. Adding delamanid to current TB regimens may improve treatment outcomes, as demonstrated in recent clinical trials with pulmonary multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB patients. Delamanid may be an important drug for consideration in the construction of new regimens to shorten TB treatment duration., (Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.)

Tedizolid phosphate is approved for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections (ABSSSI). In a pooled analysis of 1,333 ABSSSI patients from the ESTABLISH clinical trials, treatment with tedizolid or linezolid demonstrated similar early and posttherapy clinical responses in nonsevere and severe disease, irrespective of the parameters used to measure ABSSSI severity. Shorter 6-day treatment of ABSSSI, including those that were severe, with tedizolid phosphate demonstrated efficacy comparable to that of 10-day treatment with linezolid. (The ESTABLISH studies discussed in this paper have been registered at ClinicalTrials.gov under identifiers NCT01170221 and NCT01421511.)., (Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.)

The protective efficacy of tedizolid phosphate, a novel oxazolidinone that potently inhibits bacterial protein synthesis, was compared to those of linezolid, vancomycin, and saline in a rabbit model of Staphylococcus aureus necrotizing pneumonia. Tedizolid phosphate was administered to rabbits at 6 mg/kg of body weight intravenously twice daily, which yielded values of the 24-h area under the concentration-time curve approximating those found in humans. The overall survival rate was 83% for rabbits treated with 6 mg/kg tedizolid phosphate twice daily and 83% for those treated with 50 mg/kg linezolid thrice daily ( P = 0.66 by the log-rank test versus the results obtained with tedizolid phosphate). These survival rates were significantly greater than the survival rates of 17% for rabbits treated with 30 mg/kg vancomycin twice daily ( P = 0.003) and 17% for rabbits treated with saline ( P = 0.002). The bacterial count in the lungs of rabbits treated with tedizolid phosphate was significantly decreased compared to that in the lungs of rabbits treated with saline, although it was not significantly different from that in the lungs of rabbits treated with vancomycin or linezolid. The in vivo bacterial production of alpha-toxin and Panton-Valentine leukocidin, two key S. aureus -secreted toxins that play critical roles in the pathogenesis of necrotizing pneumonia, in the lungs of rabbits treated with tedizolid phosphate and linezolid was significantly inhibited compared to that in the lungs of rabbits treated with vancomycin or saline. Taken together, these results indicate that tedizolid phosphate is superior to vancomycin for the treatment of S. aureus necrotizing pneumonia because it inhibits the bacterial production of lung-damaging toxins at the site of infection., (Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.)

Tedizolid, a novel oxazolidinone, exhibits bacteriostatic activity through inhibition of protein synthesis. The efficacies of tedizolid, linezolid, and vancomycin were compared in a murine catheter-related biofilm infection caused by methicillin-susceptible and -resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA and MRSA, respectively) strains engineered for bioluminescence. We observed significantly improved efficacy in terms of decreased S. aureus densities and bioluminescent signals in the tedizolid-treated group versus the linezolid- and vancomycin-treated groups in the model of infection caused by the MSSA and MRSA strains., (Copyright © 2016, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

New regimens based on two or more novel agents are sought in order to shorten or simplify the treatment of both drug-susceptible and drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis. PA-824 is a nitroimidazo-oxazine now in phase II trials and has shown significant early bactericidal activity alone and in combination with the newly approved agent bedaquiline or with pyrazinamide with or without moxifloxacin. While the development of PA-824 continues, a potential next-generation derivative, TBA-354, has been discovered to have in vitro potency superior to that of PA-824 and greater metabolic stability than that of the other nitroimidazole derivative in clinical development, delamanid. In the present study, we compared the activities of PA-824 and TBA-354 as monotherapies in murine models of the initial intensive and continuation phases of treatment, as well as in combination with bedaquiline plus pyrazinamide, sutezolid, and/or clofazimine. The monotherapy studies demonstrated that TBA-354 is 5 to 10 times more potent than PA-824, but selected mutants are cross-resistant to PA-824 and delamanid. The combination studies revealed that TBA-354 is 2 to 4 times more potent than PA-824 when combined with bedaquiline, and when administered at a dose equivalent to that of PA-824, TBA-354 demonstrated superior sterilizing efficacy. Perhaps most importantly, the addition of either nitroimidazole significantly improved the sterilizing activities of bedaquiline and sutezolid, with or without pyrazinamide, confirming the value of each agent in this potentially universally active short-course regimen., (Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

Tedizolid, the active component of the prodrug tedizolid phosphate, is a novel oxazolidinone that is approximately 4 times more active by weight than linezolid against Staphylococcus aureus in vitro. The in vivo efficacy of tedizolid phosphate (15 mg/kg body weight intravenous [i.v.] twice a day [b.i.d.]) was compared to those of vancomycin (30 mg/kg i.v. b.i.d.) and daptomycin (18 mg/kg i.v. once a day [q.d.]) in a rabbit model of aortic valve endocarditis (AVE) caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus strain COL (infection inoculum of 10(7) CFU). Median vegetation titers of daptomycin-treated rabbits were significantly lower than those of rabbits treated with tedizolid phosphate (15 mg/kg b.i.d.) (P = 0.016), whereas titers for vancomycin-treated compared to tedizolid-treated rabbits were not different (P = 0.984). The numbers of organisms in spleen and kidney tissues were similar for all treatment groups. A dose-ranging experiment was performed with tedizolid phosphate (2, 4, and 8 mg/kg b.i.d.) compared to vancomycin (30 mg/kg b.i.d.), using a higher infecting inoculum (10(8) CFU) to determine the lowest efficacious dose of tedizolid phosphate. Tedizolid phosphate (2 mg/kg) (equivalent to 60% of the area under the concentration-time curve from 0 to 24 h (AUC0-24) for the human 200-mg dose approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration) was not efficacious. Tedizolid phosphate at 4 mg/kg (equivalent to 75% of the AUC0-24 for the human 400-mg dose) and 8 mg/kg produced lower vegetation titers than the control, but neither was as efficacious as vancomycin., (Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

Nitroimidazoles are a promising new class of antitubercular agents. The nitroimidazo-oxazole delamanid (OPC-67683, Deltyba) is in phase III trials for the treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, while the nitroimidazo-oxazine PA-824 is entering phase III for drug-sensitive and drug-resistant tuberculosis. TBA-354 (SN31354[(S)-2-nitro-6-((6-(4-trifluoromethoxy)phenyl)pyridine-3-yl)methoxy)-6,7-dihydro-5H-imidazo[2,1-b][1,3]oxazine]) is a pyridine-containing biaryl compound with exceptional efficacy against chronic murine tuberculosis and favorable bioavailability in preliminary rodent studies. It was selected as a potential next-generation antituberculosis nitroimidazole following an extensive medicinal chemistry effort. Here, we further evaluate the pharmacokinetic properties and activity of TBA-354 against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TBA-354 is narrow spectrum and bactericidal in vitro against replicating and nonreplicating Mycobacterium tuberculosis, with potency similar to that of delamanid and greater than that of PA-824. The addition of serum protein or albumin does not significantly alter this activity. TBA-354 maintains activity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv isogenic monoresistant strains and clinical drug-sensitive and drug-resistant isolates. Spontaneous resistant mutants appear at a frequency of 3 × 10(-7). In vitro studies and in vivo studies in mice confirm that TBA-354 has high bioavailability and a long elimination half-life. In vitro studies suggest a low risk of drug-drug interactions. Low-dose aerosol infection models of acute and chronic murine tuberculosis reveal time- and dose-dependent in vivo bactericidal activity that is at least as potent as that of delamanid and more potent than that of PA-824. Its superior potency and pharmacokinetic profile that predicts suitability for once-daily oral dosing suggest that TBA-354 be studied further for its potential as a next-generation nitroimidazole., (Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.)

Tedizolid (TR-700, formerly torezolid) is the active component of the new oxazolidinone prodrug tedizolid phosphate (TR-701). We had previously demonstrated that tedizolid possessed potent antistaphylococcal activity superior to that of linezolid in a neutropenic mouse thigh infection model (A. Louie, W. Liu, R. Kulawy, and G. L. Drusano, Antimicrob. Agents Chemother. 55:3453-3460, 2011). In the current investigation, we used a mouse thigh infection model to delineate the effect of an interaction of TR-700 and granulocytes on staphylococcal cell killing. We compared the antistaphylococcal killing effect of doses of TR-701 equivalent to human exposures ranging from 200 to 3,200 mg/day in both granulocytopenic and normal mice. The mice were evaluated at 24, 48, and 72 h after therapy initiation. In granulocytopenic mice, a clear exposure response in which, depending on the time point of evaluation, stasis was achieved at "human-equivalent" doses of slightly below 2,300 mg/day (at 24 h) to slightly below 2,000 mg/day (at 72 h) was observed. In immune-normal animals, stasis was achieved at human-equivalent doses of slightly greater than 100 mg/day or less. The variance in bacterial cell killing results was attributable to the presence of granulocytes (without drug), the direct effect of TR-700 on Staphylococcus aureus, and the effect of the drug on Staphylococcus aureus mediated through granulocytes. The majority of the bacterial cell killing in normal animals was attributable to the effect of TR-700 mediated through granulocytes. Additional studies need to be undertaken to elucidate the mechanism underlying this observation.

Torezolid phosphate (TR-701) is the phosphate monoester prodrug of the oxazolidinone TR-700 which demonstrates potent in vitro activity against Gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA) and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). The pharmacodynamics of TR-701 or TR-700 (TR-701/700) against S. aureus is incompletely defined. Single-dose pharmacokinetic studies were conducted in mice for TR-701/700. Forty-eight-hour dose range and 24-hour dose fractionation studies were conducted in a neutropenic mouse thigh model of S. aureus infection using MRSA ATCC 33591 to identify the dose and schedule of administration of TR-701/700 that was linked with optimized antimicrobial effect. Additional dose range studies compared the efficacies of TR-701/700 and linezolid for one MSSA strain and one community-associated MRSA strain. In dose range studies, TR-701/700 was equally bactericidal against MSSA and MRSA. Mean doses of 37.6 and 66.9 mg/kg of body weight/day of TR-701/700 resulted in stasis and 1 log CFU/g decreases in bacterial densities, respectively, at 24 h, and mean doses of 35.3, 46.6, and 71.1 mg/kg/day resulted in stasis and 1 and 2 log CFU/g reductions, respectively, at 48 h. Linezolid administered at doses as high as 150 mg/kg/day did not achieve stasis at either time point. Dose fractionation studies demonstrated that the area under the concentration-time curve over 24 h in the steady state divided by the MIC (AUC/MIC ratio) was the pharmacodynamic index for TR-701/700 that was linked with efficacy. TR-701/700 was highly active against MSSA and MRSA, in vivo, and was substantially more efficacious than linezolid, although linezolid's top exposure has half the human exposure. Dose fractionation studies showed that AUC/MIC was the pharmacodynamic index linked with efficacy, indicating that once-daily dosing in humans is feasible.

Torezolid (TR-700) is the active moiety of the prodrug torezolid phosphate ([TP] TR-701), a second-generation oxazolidinone with 4- to 16-fold greater potency than linezolid against Gram-positive species including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). A double-blind phase 2 study evaluated three levels (200, 300, or 400 mg) of oral, once-daily TP over 5 to 7 days for complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI). Patients 18 to 75 years old with cSSSI caused by suspected or confirmed Gram-positive pathogens were randomized 1:1:1. Of 188 treated patients, 76.6% had abscesses, 17.6% had extensive cellulitis, and 5.9% had wound infections. S. aureus, the most common pathogen, was isolated in 90.3% of patients (139/154) with a baseline pathogen; 80.6% were MRSA. Cure rates in clinically evaluable patients were 98.2% at 200 mg, 94.4% at 300 mg, and 94.4% at 400 mg. Cure rates were consistent across diagnoses, regardless of lesion size or the presence of systemic signs of infection. Clinical cure rates in patients with S. aureus isolated at baseline were 96.6% overall and 96.8% for MRSA. TP was safe and well tolerated at all dose levels. No patients discontinued treatment due to an adverse event. Three-stage hierarchical population pharmacokinetic modeling yielded a geometric mean clearance of 8.28 liters/h (between-patient variability, 32.3%), a volume of the central compartment of 71.4 liters (24.0%), and a volume of the peripheral compartment of 27.9 liters (35.7%). Results of this study show a high degree of efficacy at all three dose levels without significant differences in the safety profile and support the continued evaluation of TP for the treatment of cSSSI in phase 3 trials.

PPI-0903 is a new cephalosporin with broad-spectrum activity, including beta-lactam-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae and Staphylococcus aureus. We used the neutropenic murine thigh and lung infection models to examine the pharmacodynamic characteristics of PPI-0903. Serum drug levels following four fourfold-escalating single doses of PPI-0903 were measured by microbiologic assay. In vivo postantibiotic effects (PAEs) were determined after doses of 1.56, 6.25, 25, and 100 mg/kg of body weight in mice infected with S. pneumoniae ATCC 10813, S. aureus ATCC 29213, or Escherichia coli ATCC 25922. Dose fractionation studies over a 24-h dose range of 0.39 to 1,600 mg/kg were administered every 3, 6, 12, or 24 hours. Nonlinear regression analysis was used to determine which pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic (PK-PD) index (total and free 65% drug) best correlated with CFU/thigh at 24 h. Similar to other beta-lactam antibiotics, PPI-0903 produced short to modest in vivo PAEs with either S. pneumoniae or E. coli. The percent time that serum concentrations were above the MIC (%T>MIC) was the PK-PD index that best correlated with efficacy (R2=84 to 88% for the three organisms, compared with 9 to 41% for peak/MIC and 30 to 82% for the area under the concentration-time curve/MIC). In subsequent studies we used the neutropenic murine thigh infection model to determine if the magnitude of the free-drug % T>MIC needed for efficacy of PPI-0903 varied among pathogens (including resistant strains). Mice infected with one of five isolates of S. pneumoniae, four isolates of S. aureus, or four gram-negative bacilli were treated for 24 h with 0.10 to 400 mg/kg of PPI-0903 every 6 h. A sigmoid dose-response model was used to estimate the doses (mg/kg/24 h) required to achieve a net bacteriostatic affect over 24 h and to produce a reduction in the burden of organisms from the start of therapy by 1 and 2 log10 CFU/thigh. MICs ranged from 0.008 to 1 microg/ml.Mean free-drug %T >MICs the standard deviation associated with the static effect endpoint for S. pneumoniae, S. aureus, and gram-negative isolates were 39±9, 26±8, and 47±8, respectively [corrected]. Methicillin and penicillin resistance did not alter the magnitude of free-drug %T>MIC required for efficacy. The free-drug %T>MIC necessary for efficacy was slightly reduced in animals with normal neutrophil counts. Treatment effect was similar in both the thigh and lung infection models. The pharmacodynamic characteristics of PPI-0903 are similar to those of other compounds within the cephalosporin class.

Human rhinovirus (HRV) infections are usually self-limited but may be associated with serious consequences, particularly in those with asthma and chronic respiratory disease. Effective antiviral agents are needed for preventing and treating HRV illnesses. Ruprintrivir (Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., San Diego, Calif.) selectively inhibits HRV 3C protease and shows potent, broad-spectrum anti-HRV activity in vitro. We conducted three double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials in 202 healthy volunteers to assess the activity of ruprintrivir in experimental HRV infection. Subjects were randomized to receive intranasal ruprintrivir (8 mg) or placebo sprays as prophylaxis (two or five times daily [2x/day or 5x/day] for 5 days) starting 6 h before infection or as treatment (5x/day for 4 days) starting 24 h after infection. Ruprintrivir prophylaxis reduced the proportion of subjects with positive viral cultures (for 5x/day dosing groups, 44% for ruprintrivir treatment group versus 70% for placebo treatment group [P=0.03]; for 2x/day dosing groups, 60% for ruprintrivir group versus 92% for placebo group [P=0.004]) and viral titers but did not decrease the frequency of colds. Ruprintrivir treatment reduced the mean total daily symptom score (2.2 for ruprintrivir treatment group and 3.3 for the placebo treatment group [P=0.014]) by 33%. Secondary endpoints, including viral titers, individual symptom scores, and nasal discharge weights, were also reduced by ruprintrivir treatment. Overall, ruprintrivir was well tolerated; blood-tinged mucus and nasal passage irritation were the most common adverse effects reported. Pharmacokinetic analysis of plasma and nasal ruprintrivir concentrations revealed intranasal drug residence with minimal systemic absorption. Results from these studies in experimental rhinoviral infection support continued investigation of intranasal ruprintrivir in the setting of natural HRV infection.

Therapy for otitis media (OM) due to resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae (MIC of penicillin, >/=2.0 microgram/ml) is challenging. Linezolid, an oxazolidinone, represent a new class of antimicrobial agents with excellent in vitro activity against penicillin-resistant S. pneumoniae; however, in vitro activity against nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI) is limited. We evaluated its efficacy against experimental acute OM due to a multidrug-resistant S. pneumoniae isolate and two isolates of NTHI. The chinchilla model was utilized to evaluate the efficacy of linezolid against experimental infection due to S. pneumoniae or NTHI. Serum and middle ear antibiotic concentrations were determined, and sterilization of experimental OM was evaluated. Chinchillas were inoculated directly with S. pneumoniae into the superior bulla. Twenty-four hours after inoculation, all animals had positive middle ear and nasopharyngeal cultures. Animals were given linezolid at 25 mg/kg/dose twice a day (b.i.d.) by orogastric feeding tube or amoxicillin at 40 mg/kg/dose b.i.d. intramuscularly for 5 days. By day 5, all animals in the linezolid group had sterile middle ear cultures and eradication of S. pneumoniae from the nasopharynx. In the amoxicillin group, all nine animals remained middle ear and nasopharynx positive (P < 0.01). In animals inoculated with NTHI, 25 and 37.5 mg/kg b.i.d. failed to sterilize middle ear infection or eradicate colonization. Mean levels in middle ear fluid measured during experimental infection were 12.8 microgram/ml at 2 to 6 h and 4. 1 mirogram/ml at 16 to 17 h after orogastric dosing at 25 mg/kg. Linezolid achieved a high concentration in the middle ear during experimental OM. Linezolid eradicated multidrug-resistant S. pneumoniae from the middle ear and nasopharynx. Experimental infection and nasopharyngeal colonization due to NTHI persisted despite achievement of concentrations in the middle ear that were above the MIC (for NTHI).

The in vivo effectiveness of oxazolidinones eperezolid (U-100592) and linezolid (U-100766) against one strain each of Enterococcus faecalis and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium was examined in a rat model of intra-abdominal abscess. MICs of both drugs were 2 microg/ml for each strain. At doses of 25 mg/kg of body weight twice daily intravenously or orally, linezolid produced small but statistically significant reductions in abscess bacterial density for E. faecalis. The reduction in viable cells observed would not likely be clinically relevant. Eperezolid was ineffective at this dose. At a dosage of 100 mg/kg/day, linezolid treatment led to an approximately 100-fold reduction in viable cells per gram of abscess. Against E. faecium infections, intravenous eperezolid and oral linezolid were effective, reducing densities approximately 2 log(10) CFU/g. Both oxazolidinones demonstrated activity against enterococci in this model. However, results were modest with the dosing regimens employed.

The activities of linezolid, eperezolid, and PNU-100480 were evaluated in a murine model of tuberculosis. Approximately 10(7) viable Mycobacterium tuberculosis ATCC 35801 organisms were given intravenously to 4-week-old outbred CD-1 mice. In the first study, treatment was started 1 day postinfection and was given by gavage for 4 weeks. Viable cell counts were determined from homogenates of spleens and lungs. PNU-100480 was as active as isoniazid. Linezolid was somewhat less active than PNU-100480 and isoniazid. Eperezolid had little activity in this model. In the next two studies, treatment was started 1 week postinfection. A dose-response study was performed with PNU-100480 and linezolid (both at 25, 50, and 100 mg/kg of body weight). PNU-100480 was more active than linezolid, and its efficacy increased with an escalation of the dose. Subsequently, the activity of PNU-100480 alone and in combination with rifampin or isoniazid was evaluated and was compared to that of isoniazid-rifampin. The activity of PNU-100480 was similar to that of isoniazid and/or rifampin in the various combinations tested. Further evaluation of these oxazolidinones in the murine test system would be useful prior to the development of clinical studies with humans.

The Upjohn oxazolidinones, U-100592 and U-100766, are orally bioavailable synthetic antimicrobial agents with spectra of activity against antibiotic-susceptible and -resistant gram-positive pathogens. In several mouse models of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infection, U-100592 and U-100766 yielded oral 50% effective doses (ED50) ranging from 1.9 to 8.0 mg/kg of body weight, which compared favorably with vancomycin subcutaneous ED50 values of 1.1 to 4.4 mg/kg. Similarly, both compounds were active versus a Staphylococcus epidermidis experimental systemic infection. U-100592 and U-100766 effectively cured an Enterococcus faecalis systemic infection, with ED50 values of 1.3 and 10.0 mg/kg, and versus a vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium infection in immunocompromised mice, both drugs effected cures at 12.5 and 24.0 mg/kg. Both compounds were exceptionally active in vivo against penicillin- and cephalosporin-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, with ED50 values ranging from 1.2 to 11.7 mg/kg in systemic infection models. In soft tissue infection models with S. aureus and E. faecalis, both compounds exhibited acceptable curative activities in the range of 11.0 to 39.0 mg/kg. U-100766 was also very active versus the Bacteroides fragilis soft tissue infection model (ED50 = 46.3 mg/kg). In combination-therapy studies, both U-100592 and U-100766 were indifferent or additive in vivo against a monomicrobic S. aureus infection in combination with other antibiotics active against gram-positive bacteria and combined as readily as vancomycin with gentamicin in the treatment of a polymicrobic S. aureus-Escherichia coli infection. U-100592 and U-100766 are potent oxazolidinones active against antibiotic-susceptible and -resistant gram-positive pathogens in experimental systemic and soft tissue infections.

CGI 17341 (2-ethyl-5-nitro-2,3-dihydro[2-1b]imidazo-oxazole) is a novel orally active representative of the 5-nitroimidazole series of antimicrobial agents. At concentrations ranging from 0.1 to 0.3 micrograms/ml, CGI 17341 inhibited the drug-susceptible and multi-drug-resistant strains of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. CGI 17341 had no cross-resistance with isoniazid, rifampin, streptomycin, or ethambutol. While the in vitro activity of CGI 17341 against M. tuberculosis was comparable to those of isoniazid and rifampin, it was superior to those of streptomycin, ciprofloxacin or norfloxacin, and oxazolidinone DuP 721. The MIC of CGI 17341 was not affected when the pH of the medium was decreased from 6.8 to 5.6, while four- to sixfold increases in the MICs of ciprofloxacin and isoniazid were observed. In mice infected with M. tuberculosis, the 50% effective dose for CGI 17341 was 7.7 mg/kg of body weight (95% confidence limits, 3.5 and 10.27) when administered on days 11 and 12 postinfection. CGI 17341 gave a dose-dependent (r = 0.995) and significant increase in the survival time. Our data indicate that the 5-nitroimidazole CGI 17341 is a promising and novel antituberculosis compound with potent in vitro and in vivo activities. Further investigations on this compound are warranted.

WIN 51711, a new broad-spectrum anti-picornavirus agent, prevented the development of paralysis and subsequent death in mice infected intracerebrally with a lethal dose of human poliovirus type 2 (MEF strain). The prophylactic efficacy of intragastrically administered WIN 51711 was dose dependent over the 3.9- to 62.5-mg/kg (twice daily) dose range, with a minimal significantly effective dose of less than 15.6 mg/kg per dose (twice daily) (P less than 0.008). An oral four times a day dosage regimen initiated 48 h postinfection with WIN 51711 doses as low as 12.5 mg/kg was effective in significantly reducing poliovirus-induced paralysis and death compared with a placebo. Viral titers in the brains and spines of mice infected intracerebrally with 200 50% lethal doses of poliovirus were reduced by 3 to 5 log10 PFU/g in the WIN 51711-medicated group compared with placebo-medicated animals. The potent in vitro and in vivo anti-picornavirus activity of WIN 51711 makes it a potentially useful drug for the treatment of enterovirus infections in humans.