One and Done? An Evaluation of the Clinical Outcomes of Single- and Multi-Dose Dalbavancin Use in the Pediatric Population

Abstract

Staphylococcus aureus is a leading cause of invasive bacterial infections in the pediatric population. In general, data surrounding the use of newly approved antimicrobials within children are lacking. Dalbavancin is a long-acting lipoglycopeptide that shows promise for off-label use in adults given its unique pharmacokinetics and in vitro potency against common Gram-positive isolates; however, evidence to supports its use in children is limited. We report the use of dalbavancin in three pediatric cases in patients aged 17 months of age, 3 years of age, and 11 years of age. All infections were caused by S. aureus (66.7% methicillin-resistant S. aureus) representing varied disease, including an osteoarticular infection and catheter-related bloodstream infection. Furthermore, all patients had pediatric infectious diseases involvement. Following the utilization of DAL, high clinical success and low rates of adverse effects were observed with high patients' and parents' satisfaction. While larger, confirmatory real-world studies are needed, our findings support safe off-label DAL use in select pediatric patients.

Keywords: children; dalbavancin; lipoglycopeptides; methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus; pediatrics.