A simplified three-times weekly daptomycin dosing regimen for chronic hemodialysis patients

Abstract

Approximately 2.3 million patients worldwide are undergoing chronic renal replacement therapy. In that population, acute infections substantially contribute to the excessive morbidity and mortality. The risk for invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in this population is approximately 100-fold higher than in the general population, therefore dialysis patients currently account for up to approximately 15% of all invasive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections. A simplified three-times weekly dosing regimen for hemodialysis patients now allows for practical, hassle-free and effective treatment with daptomycin, which is licensed for the treatment of complicated skin and soft tissue infections, including resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus and life-threatening Gram-positive infections, vancomycin-resistant enterococcal infections and right-sided endocarditis.