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CUBICIN: The First of a New Antibiotic Class
CUBICIN, the first cyclic lipopeptide, has a mechanism of action distinct from any other antibiotic:

  • Utilizes calcium ions to bind irreversibly to the cell membranes of Gram-positive bacteria
  • Causes rapid depolarization of membrane potential resulting in efflux of potassium and destruction of the ion-concentration gradient—without causing cell lysis
  • Loss of membrane potential leads to inhibition of protein, DNA, and RNA synthesis, resulting in bacterial cell death

Rapid depolarization results in cell death
CUBICIN acts on the bacterial cell membrane



Artist's interpretation of the CUBICIN mechanism of action.

CUBICIN Mechanism of Action Video
CUBICIN—the first of a new antibiotic class, the cyclic lipopeptides—kills gram-positive bacteria without cell lysis. Watch a video that illustrates the mechanism of action of CUBICIN.

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Reference: 1. Silverman JA, Perlmutter NG, Shapiro HM. Correlation of daptomycin bactericidal activity and membrane depolarization in Staphylococcus aureus. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2003;47:2538-2544.