Surotomycin was an investigational oral
antibiotic
An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting pathogenic bacteria, bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the therapy, ...
. This
macrolide antibiotic
The Macrolides are a class of natural products that consist of a large macrocyclic lactone ring to which one or more deoxy sugars, usually cladinose and desosamine, may be attached. The lactone rings are usually 14-, 15-, or 16-membered. Macro ...
was under investigation by
Merck & Co
Merck & Co., Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical company headquartered in Rahway, New Jersey, and is named for Merck Group, founded in Germany in 1668, of whom it was once the American arm. The company does business as Merck Sha ...
(who acquired
Cubist Pharmaceuticals
Cubist Pharmaceuticals was an American biopharmaceutical company that targeted pathogens like MRSA.
. The company employed 638 people, mostly in Lexington, MA. On 8 December 2014, Merck & Co. acquired Cubist for $102 per share in cash ($8.4 ...
) for the treatment of life-threatening
diarrhea
Diarrhea, also spelled diarrhoea, is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements each day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration due to fluid loss. Signs of dehydration often begin ...
, commonly caused by the
bacterium
Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were a ...
''
Clostridium difficile
''Clostridioides difficile'' (syn. ''Clostridium difficile'') is a bacterium that is well known for causing serious diarrheal infections, and may also cause colon cancer. Also known as ''C. difficile'', or ''C. diff'' (), is Gram-positive spec ...
''. After reaching phase III in clinical trials, its production was discontinued in 2017 due to its non-superiority to current therapies.
See also
*
Cadazolid
Cadazolid is an experimental antibiotic of the oxazolidinone class made by Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd. which is effective against ''Clostridium difficile'', a major cause of drug resistant diarrhea in the elderly. Current drug treatments for t ...
*
Fidaxomicin
Fidaxomicin, sold under the brand name Dificid among others, is the first member of a class of narrow spectrum macrocyclic antibiotic drugs called tiacumicins. It is a fermentation product obtained from the actinomycete '' Dactylosporangium aur ...
*
Ridinilazole
Ridinilazole (previously known as SMT19969) is an investigational small molecule antibiotic being evaluated for oral administration to treat ''Clostridioides difficile'' infection (CDI). In vitro, it is bactericidal against ''C. difficile'' and s ...
*
SCHEMBL19952957
SCHEMBL19952957 is an oxadiazole based antibiotic, originally developed in 2014 as a potential treatment for infections with methicillin-resistant ''Staphylococcus aureus'' (MRSA) and other antibiotic resistant bacteria. Subsequently, it has bee ...
References
Antibiotics
Macrolides
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