In late June, Nashville-based Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. released a series of case reports showcasing the effectiveness of Vibativ^® (telavancin) in treating secondary bacterial infections in COVID-19 patients - particularly those with other significant health problems, such as obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

Joseph Reilly, PharmD, a clinical pharmacist specialist for infectious disease and critical care at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Pomona, N.J., provided two of the COVID-19 patient cases for the dossier. Both patients had underlying health conditions - one presented with MSSA hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia (HABP) and the other with MRSA ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (VABP). "In these patients, bacterial pneumonia developed and likely contributed to their failure to improve clinically," said Reilly. "Within 48 hours of switching antibiotic therapy to telavancin, blood cultures were clear of MSSA and MRSA."

Vibativ is a patented, FDA-approved injectable anti-infective for the treatment of certain serious bacterial infections including HABP and VABP that can result from COVID-19, influenza and other infections. Vibativ addresses a range of Gram-positive bacterial pathogens, including those that are considered difficult-to-treat and multidrug-resistant.