Glycopeptides and glycodepsipeptides in clinical developement: a comparative of their
antibacterial spectrum, pharmacokinetics and clinical efficacy.

Current Opinion in Investigational Drugs (2006) 7:740-749

Françoise Van Bambeke

Université catholique de Louvain, Unité de Pharmacologie cellulaire et moléculaire
UCL7370 avenue E. mounier 73, 1200 Brussels, belgium

Hemisynthetic derivatives of glycopeptides have demonstrated bectericidal activity towards
Gram-positive bacteria, including vancomycin-resistant strains (oritavancin and telavancin),
and a prolonged half-life, allowing for once-daily (oritavancin and telavancin) or one-weekly
(dalbavancin) administration. These compounds have proved effective for the treatment of
infections caused by multi-resistant Gram-poistive bacteria, including complicated skin and
skin structure infections (oritavancin, telavancin, and dalbavancin), bacteremia (oritavancin
and dalbavancin) and nosocomial pneumonia. This review compares the antibacterial activity
and clinical activity of three glycopeptides, oritavancin, telavancin and dalbavancin, and
the natural lipoglycopeptide ramoplanin, which, being unstable in the bloodstream, is administered
orally to treat Clostridium difficile colitis and for digestive tract decontamination. All these
compounds, with the exception of oritavancin, have received Fast Track designation from
the FDA because fo their clinical efficacy.

Keywords: Dalbavancin, MRSA, oritavancin, ramoplanin, telavancin, VRE