New antimicrobial agents for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

In bacterial and fungal infections, optimal outcomes are obtained through the timely provision of adequate antimicrobial coverage in an initial anti-infective treatment regimen. However, selecting appropriate antimicrobial regimens to treat infections in the intensive care unit is challenging because of the expansion of antibiotic resistance. Multidrug anti-infective regimens are typically needed to adequately cover common important pathogens in ICUs. Here, we describe novel antibacterial agents in the late stages of clinical development that show potential for treating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. These include the fifth-generation cephalosporins, ceftaroline and ceftobiprole; the glycopeptides, dalbavancin, oritavancin, and telavancin; and iclaprim.