Meropenem-Vaborbactam versus Ceftazidime-Avibactam for Treatment of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae Infections.

The comparative efficacy of ceftazidime-avibactam and meropenem-vaborbactam for treatment of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) infections remains unknown. This was a multicenter, retrospective cohort study of adults with CRE infections who received ceftazidime-avibactam or meropenem-vaborbactam for ≥72 hours from February 2015 to October 2018. Patients with a localized urinary tract infection and repeat study drug exposures after the first episode were excluded. The primary endpoint was clinical success compared between treatment groups. Secondary endpoints included 30- and 90-day mortality, adverse events (AE), 90-day CRE infection recurrence, and development of resistance in patients with recurrent infection. A post hoc subgroup analysis was completed comparing patients who received ceftazidime-avibactam monotherapy, ceftazidime-avibactam combination therapy, and meropenem-vaborbactam monotherapy. A total of 131 patients were included (ceftazidime-avibactam, n = 105; meropenem-vaborbactam, n = 26), 40% of whom had bacteremia. No significant difference in clinical success was observed between groups (62% versus 69%; P = 0.49). Patients in the ceftazidime-avibactam arm received combination therapy more often than patients in the meropenem-vaborbactam arm (61% versus 15%; P < 0.01). No difference in 30- and 90-day mortality resulted, and rates of AE were similar between groups. In patients with recurrent infection, development of resistance occurred in three patients that received ceftazidime-avibactam monotherapy and in no patients in the meropenem-vaborbactam arm. Clinical success was similar between patients receiving ceftazidime-avibactam and meropenem-vaborbactam for treatment of CRE infections, despite ceftazidime-avibactam being used more often as a combination therapy. Development of resistance was more common with ceftazidime-avibactam monotherapy.

Early Directed Oritavancin Therapy in the Emergency Department May Lead to Hospital Avoidance Compared to Standard Treatment for Acute Bacterial Skin and Skin Structure Infections: A Real-World Retrospective Analysis.

OBJECTIVES: Acute bacterial skin and soft tissue infections (ABSSSIs) are a leading cause of presentation to the emergency department (ED). This study aimed to determine the potential impact of utilizing oritavancin in the ED or observation unit (OBS) on hospital inpatient admission. METHODS: A single-center community teaching hospital developed a pharmacy-led pilot to evaluate the use of oritavancin as a measure to avoid hospital admissions/readmissions in appropriate patients with ABSSSIs. Prior to initiation of the oritavancin pilot, prespecified inclusion and exclusion criteria were determined for proper patient selection. The pilot ran from January 1 to December 31, 2017. The data were compared to corresponding data for an equal number of patients during the pilot period who had similar ABSSSI diagnoses to the oritavancin pilot group but received vancomycin. The primary outcome was length of stay (LOS), defined as the total time in hours from presentation to the ED until discharge home, including time spent in the OBS or inpatient unit. RESULTS: During the study period, 122 patients met the study criteria and 61 patients received oritavancin in the ED or OBS unit. These patients were compared to 61 consecutive patients during the pilot period who received vancomycin. Administration of oritavancin in the ED or OBS was associated with a significantly shorter mean LOS relative to the standard of care group (19.5 vs. 85.98 h, p < 0.01). All-cause 30-day readmissions were the same for both groups (6 vs. 6, p = 1). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that use of oritavancin in the ED or OBS setting for ABSSSIs may shorten LOS without negatively affecting readmissions.

Utility of the Millon Behavioral Medicine Diagnostic (MBMD) to predict adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) medication regimens among HIV-positive men and women.

Psychosocial and behavioral factors may be strong predictors of adherence to medications in a wide variety of diseases. Newly emerging antiretroviral medications for HIV have been shown to be effective but require near perfect adherence to offer clinically significant benefits. There is currently great interest in deriving patient factors that may predict optimal medication adherence in HIV-positive persons. In this study, we examined the association of psychosocial and behavioral characteristics using the Millon Behavioral Medicine Diagnostic (MBMD; Millon, Antoni, Millon, Meagher, & Grossman, 2001) and adherence to highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) among 117 HIV-positive individuals on HAART regimens. Specific indexes of the MBMD were associated with HAART adherence as assessed through patient interview, at baseline assessment, and at 3-month follow-up at a point after which participants had received medication adherence training. As hypothesized, the Medication Abuse scale of the MBMD was uniquely associated with overall adherence at baseline assessment and also predictive of adherence at 3-month follow-up. Additional MBMD scales were also related to overall adherence as well as specific adherence behaviors such as missed doses, following specific instructions, and overmedicating, although the Medication Abuse scale emerged as the most consistent predictor of adherence in the study. These results suggest that the MBMD can be used to predict adherence to HAART medication in a sample of HIV-positive men and women and may subsequently be used to identify those in need of adherence counseling at the point when medications are initiated.