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Vancomycin

Vancomycin
Vancomycin.svg
Vancomycin-from-xtal-1996-3D-balls.png
Clinical data
Pronunciation /væŋkəˈmsn/
Trade names Vancocin
AHFS/Drugs.com Monograph
MedlinePlus a604038
License data
Pregnancy
category
  • B (PO) / C (IV)(US)
Routes of
administration
IV, by mouth
ATC code
Legal status
Legal status
  • AU: S4 (Prescription only)
  • UK: POM (Prescription only)
  • US: ℞-only
Pharmacokinetic data
Bioavailability Negligible (oral)
Metabolism Excreted unchanged
Biological half-life 4 h to 11 h (adults)
6 d to 10 d (adults, impaired renal function)
Excretion Renal
Identifiers
CAS Number
PubChem CID
DrugBank
ChemSpider
UNII
KEGG
ChEBI
ChEMBL
ECHA InfoCard 100.014.338
Chemical and physical data
Formula C66H75Cl2N9O24
Molar mass 1449.3 g.mol−1
3D model (Jmol)
  

Vancomycin is an antibiotic used to treat a number of bacterial infections. It is recommended intravenously as a first-line treatment for complicated skin infections, bloodstream infections, endocarditis, bone and joint infections, and meningitis caused by methicillin-resistant S. aureus. Blood levels may be measured to determine the correct dose. Vancomycin is also recommended by mouth as a treatment for severe Clostridium difficile colitis. When taken by mouth it is very poorly absorbed.

Common side effects include pain in the area of injection and allergic reactions. Occasionally, hearing loss, low blood pressure, or bone marrow suppression occur. Safety in pregnancy is not clear, but no evidence of harm has been found, and it is likely safe for use when breastfeeding. It is a type of glycopeptide antibiotic and works by blocking the construction of a cell wall.

Vancomycin was first sold in 1954. It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines, the most effective and safe medicines needed in a health system. It is available as a generic medication. The wholesale cost in the developing world of an intravenous dose is about US$1.70 to 6.00. In the United States, the pills are more expensive than the intravenous solution. The intravenous solution may be safely taken by mouth for the treatment of C. difficile colitis to reduce costs. Vancomycin is made by the soil bacterium Amycolatopsis orientalis.


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