Drug monitoring and individual dose optimization of antimicrobial drugs: oxazolidinones.

INTRODUCTION: Oxazolidinones are synthetic antibiotics with bacteriostatic activity against Gram-positive pathogens. Linezolid, the first marketed oxazolidinone, has shown also activity against Mycobaterium tuberculosis, including multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant strains. Recently, a second agent of this class (tedizolid) has been approved for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections, and other oxazolidinones are under active investigation in clinical trials. AREAS COVERED: In the present review, we consider factors that affect oxazolidinones pharmacokinetics and their role in reducing the effectiveness of these drugs and increasing the risk of drug-related adverse events. Furthermore, we review the potential role of strategies aimed at individualizing drug doses. A MEDLINE PubMed search for articles published from January 1990 to November 2015 was completed matching the terms oxazolidinones, linezolid, or tedizolid with pharmacokinetics, therapeutic drug monitoring, pharmacology or clinical trials. Moreover, additional studies were identified from the reference list of retrieved papers. EXPERT OPINION: Consistent evidence is now available showing that therapeutic drug monitoring and guided individual dose optimization of linezolid is justified and feasible in clinical practice to improve tolerability and possibly response to therapy. The role of individualized drug dosing regimens for other oxazolidinones remains to be proven.