CUBICIN - Important Safety Information

Indications and Important Safety Information

• CUBICIN is indicated for the following infections:

  Complicated skin and skin structure infections caused by susceptible isolates of the following Gram-positive microorganisms: S. aureus (including methicillin-resistant isolates), Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus dysgalactiae subspecies equisimilis, and Enterococcus faecalis (vancomycin-susceptible isolates only). Combination therapy may be clinically indicated if the documented or presumed pathogens include Gram-negative or anaerobic organisms.

  S. aureus bloodstream infections (bacteremia), including those with right-sided infective endocarditis, caused by methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant isolates. Combination therapy may be clinically indicated if the documented or presumed pathogens include Gram-negative or anaerobic organisms.

• The efficacy of CUBICIN in patients with left-sided infective endocarditis due to S. aureus has not been demonstrated. The clinical trial of CUBICIN in patients with S. aureus bloodstream infections included limited data from patients with left-sided infective endocarditis; outcomes in these patients were poor. CUBICIN has not been studied in patients with prosthetic valve endocarditis or meningitis.
• Patients with persisting or relapsing S. aureus infection or poor clinical response should have repeat blood cultures. If a culture is positive for S. aureus, MIC susceptibility testing of the isolate should be performed using a standardized procedure, as well as diagnostic evaluation to rule out sequestered foci of infection. Appropriate surgical intervention (eg, debridement, removal of prosthetic devices, valve replacement surgery) and/or consideration of a change in antibiotic regimen may be required.
• CUBICIN is not indicated for the treatment of pneumonia.
• Eosinophilic pneumonia has been reported in patients receiving CUBICIN. In reported cases associated with CUBICIN, patients developed fever, dyspnea with hypoxic respiratory insufficiency, and diffuse pulmonary infiltrates. In general, patients developed eosinophilic pneumonia 2 to 4 weeks after starting CUBICIN and improved when CUBICIN was discontinued and steroid therapy was initiated. Recurrence of eosinophilic pneumonia upon re-exposure has been reported. Patients who develop these signs and symptoms while receiving CUBICIN should undergo prompt medical evaluation, and CUBICIN should be discontinued immediately. Treatment with systemic steroids is recommended.
• Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea (CDAD) has been reported with the use of nearly all antibacterial agents, including CUBICIN, and may range in severity from mild diarrhea to fatal colitis. CDAD has been reported to occur over 2 months post-antibiotic treatment. If CDAD is suspected, antibiotic treatment may need to be suspended.
• Patients receiving CUBICIN should be monitored for the development of muscle pain or weakness, particularly of the distal extremities. In patients who receive CUBICIN, creatine phosphokinase (CPK) levels should be monitored weekly, and more frequently in patients who received recent prior or concomitant therapy with an HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor. In patients with renal insufficiency, both renal function and CPK should be monitored more frequently. Patients who demonstrate unexplained elevations in CPK while receiving CUBICIN should be monitored more frequently.
• CUBICIN should be discontinued in patients with unexplained signs and symptoms of myopathy in conjunction with CPK elevation >1000 U/L (~5X ULN), or in patients without reported symptoms who have marked elevations in CPK >2000 U/L (≥10X ULN).
• Most adverse events reported in CUBICIN clinical trials were mild to moderate in intensity. The most common CUBICIN adverse events were anemia, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, injection-site reactions, and headache.