Vibativ was initially used in treatment of skin infections but FDA recently expanded its use for pneumonia caused by a certain bacteria called Staphylococcus aureu.
Telavancin with trade name Vibativ manufactured by Theravance has been in the market since 2009. The pharmaceutical company conducted clinical trials in 2012 and found that it can also be used to treat nosocomial pneumonia, or hospital-acquired pneumonia.
Those diagnosed with nosocomial pneumonia have to undergo oxygen, antimicrobial therapy and several other procedures to fight off the infection. Vibativ will now be able to lessen the therapies needed as the drug can help treat the infection.
Hospital-acquired pneumonia is a serious lung infection affecting patients using ventilators. The infection usually manifests within 48 hours of admission of the patient. This is an additional burden for the patients because it increases their hospital expenses and prolongs their stay in the hospital.
The medication is already available in Europe but in Canada and U.S, patients will need to wait until the third quarter of this year.
Theravance Chief Executive Rick E Winningham said in a press release that the company plans to make the drug available for purchase through wholesalers in the third quarter of this year and is continuing to assess commercialization alternatives for the U.S. market.
Meanwhile, the announcement had a positive effect on the stock value of Theravance as the shares went up by 2 percent and ended at $38.25 after market-trading.
The overall value of the shares closed at 10 percent at $37.5 in Nasdaq.