MAIDENHEAD, England, December 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Data published in the European Antimicrobial Resistance SurveillanceSystem (EARSS) 2005 Annual Report, highlights that for the sixthyear running, MRSA prevalence is rising consistently across Europe, with theUK being the fifth worst affected in Europe after Malta, Cyprus, Romania andPortugal(1). The report states, however, that two countries - Slovenia andFrance have managed to decrease infection rates through implementing theappropriate long term control efforts - yet the UK has not managed to reversethe trend over the last 6 years. The overall increase in MRSA, is largelysymptomatic of rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR)(1) - the increasingnumber of resistant pathogens across the UK & Europe. The report warns thatAMR is seriously threatening the successful and effective treatment of infections - resulting in an ever increasing death toll and diseaseburden(1).
Antibiotic treatments are widely used to treat hospitalacquired infections (HAI) - of which there have been three million per yearin the extended EU, resulting in an alarming 50,000 deaths to date.(2)
Mark Wilcox, clinical Director of Microbiology & Infection Control, LeedsTeaching Hospital explains: "The findings of the EARSS report are worryingand clearly illustrate that antibiotic resistance is continuing to increasemarkedly. If this trend continues and is not tackled effectively, it islikely that more patients will die because of infections caused by multi-drugresistant bacteria. The financial effects of increased hospital stays andsubsequent treatment will continue to drain European healthcare systems.Appropriate management and treatment regimens need to be implemented andaudited for their effectiveness."
Inappropriate use of antibiotics continues to be a major contributoryfactor to the increasing number of resistant pathogens across Europe. Many ofthese causative organisms, such as MRSA, have developed resistance tomultiple antibiotics.(3) Hospital patients, as a result of theirsometimes weakened immune systems, are particularly vulnerable to theseresistant strains,(4) developing infections that can manifest as infectedburns, deep abscesses, surgical wound infections, perforations, orcomplicated appendicitis, among others. When these clinical complications areadded to patients' existing medical conditions they can prove fatal or leadto longer stays in hospital, and therefore a greater burden on health caresystems.(5)
While antimicrobial resistance is increasing in the mainacross Europe, EARSS data reveals that specific resistance trends can beaffected by local environments including incidence and strains of pathogens,local antibiotic prescribing habits and hospitals.
Due to rising antimicrobial resistance, it is important toinitiate empiric treatment of complicated and serious infections quickly withbroad-spectrum antibiotics, as currently available antimicrobial testingmethods may take at least 48 hours to identify the bacteria causing theinfection.
Tigecycline is one of a limited number of new broad-spectrumantibiotics available in Europe which can be used when the causative bacteriaare still unknown.(6)
Mark Wilcox comments: "Increasing antimicrobial resistance is acomplicating factor in the treatment of infections - particularly in thehospital setting. When a patient develops a serious infection in hospital itusually takes between 24 and 48 hours to identify the bacteria responsible.In these critical early stages of treatment, it is important to haveefficacious broad-spectrum antibiotics available. Tigecycline is a useful newalternative broad spectrum antibiotic option that provides cover against thetypes of multi-drug resistant bacteria that are increasingly common inEurope."
Notes to Editors
About Tigecycline
Tigecycline was developed by Wyeth to overcome the two keytetracycline resistance mechanisms, efflux pumps and ribosomal protection,and is unaffected by other bacterial mechanisms of resistance such asextended spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs), which have limited the number ofantibiotic options available.
Tigecycline is active against many gram-positive bacteria,such as MRSA, and common gram-negative pathogens, such as Escherichia coli.It can be used as an empiric monotherapy (before the causative bacteria areidentified) in the treatment of skin or intra-abdominal infections,especially those that may be caused by a mixture of different bacteriaacquired either in the hospital or in the community. The most common adverseevents reported in clinical trials with Tigecycline were transient nausea(20%) and vomiting (14%). These occurred early and were generally mild ormoderate in severity. Tigecycline is supported by comprehensive global invitro studies and an in vivo clinical trials programme and was available toselected patients prior to approval as part of a compassionate use programme.
It is currently available in Austria, Germany, France, Portugal, Italy,Greece, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, the Czech. Republic and the UK. Tigecyclinereceived FDA approval in June 2005 and has since received regulatory approvalin Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Kuwait, Qatar, and thePhilippines.
About Wyeth
Wyeth is one of the world's largest research-drivenpharmaceutical and health care products companies. It is a leader in thediscovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals,vaccines, biotechnology products and non-prescription medicines that improvethe quality of life for people worldwide. The Company's major divisionsinclude Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare and Fort DodgeAnimal Health.
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, a division of Wyeth, has leadingproducts in the areas of women's health care, cardiovascular disease, centralnervous system, inflammation, transplantation, haemophilia, oncology, vaccinesand nutritional products. Wyeth is one of the world's largest research-drivenpharmaceutical and health care products companies. It is a leader in thediscovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceuticals,vaccines, biotechnology products and non-prescription medicines that improvethe quality of life for people worldwide. The Company's major divisionsinclude Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, Wyeth Consumer Healthcare and Fort DodgeAnimal Health.
About EARSS
The European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (EARSS), fundedby Health and Consumer Protection, Directorate G of the European Commissionand coordinated by the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and theEnvironment (RIVM), is an international network of national surveillancesystems, which collects comparable and validated antimicrobial susceptibilitydata for public health purposes. Since 2004, surveillance of antimicrobialsusceptibility has been monitored in Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonasauruginosa, Streptococcus pneumoniae, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichiacoli, and Enterococcus faecalis/faecium causing invasive infections andmonitors variations of antimicrobial resistance over time and place.
References
1. European Antimicrobial Resistance Surveillance System (EARSS) 2005Annual Report. Available at: http://www.rivm.nl/en/
2. Hospitals in Europe Link for Infection Control Through Surveillance(HELICS). About HELICS. Available at http://helics.univ-lyon1.fr/about.htm.Accessed February 20, 2006.
3. Goosens H, Ferech M, Stichele RV, et al, for the ESAC Project Group.Outpatient antibiotic use in Europe and association with resistance; across-national database study. Lancet. 2005; 365: 579-587.
4. Shlaes DM, Gerding DN, John JF Jr, et al. Society for HealthcareEpidemiology of America and Infectious Diseases Society of America JointCommittee on the Prevention of Antimicrobial Resistance: Guidelines for thePrevention of Antimicrobial Resistance in Hospitals. Clin Infec Dis. 1997;25: 584-599.
5. Cosgrove SE, Carmeli Y. The impact of antimicrobial resistance onhealth and economic outcomes. Clin Infect Dis. 2003; 36: 1433-1437.
6. Wyeth Europa interpretation of the EMEA-approved Summary of ProductCharacteristics.
Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
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