Telithromycin 400mg tablets
Telithromycin, a semi-synthetic erythromycin derivative, belongs to a new chemical class of antibiotics called ketolides.
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Suspected adverse reactions reported for Telithromycin
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1 branded products available
WHO defined daily dose (DDD)
800 mg
Not a recommended dose. The DDD is the assumed average maintenance dose per day for a drug used for its main indication in adults. It is a statistical measure used for research and comparison purposes only.
Source: WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology, distributed via the NHS dm+d supplementary BNF/ATC mapping files (NHSBSA). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Therapeutically similar medicines
Similarity is based on WHO Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical (ATC) classification and on a factual NHS dm+d therapeutic-grouping code prefix. Source data: NHS dm+d via TRUD (OGL v3.0), WHO ATC/DDD Index.
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SNOMED CT and dm+d codes from NHS TRUD (Technology Reference data Update Distribution), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. BNF code shown is the factual mapping value distributed by NHS Business Services Authority (NHSBSA) in the dm+d supplementary file under OGL v3.0; it is not affiliated with, nor licensed from, the publishers of the British National Formulary. ATC codes from the WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology (whocc.no).
Active and completed clinical studies from ClinicalTrials.gov
Source: ClinicalTrials.gov, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health (NIH). Data accessed via ClinicalTrials.gov API v2. Trial information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Academic studies and reviews for this medicine's active substance
Showing all 18 studies.
Reviews & meta-analyses: 4 · 2002–2026
Showing all 18 studies, sorted by most relevant.
Chen C, Chen T, Xue D, et al.
2025
- Anti-Bacterial Agents
- Cost-Benefit Analysis
- Scrub Typhus
INTRODUCTION: A pharmacoeconomic analysis model was developed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of antibiotics from a societal perspective in Korea and China. A network meta-analysis was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of antibiotics. METHODOLOGY: We conducted a systematic search for randomized controlled trials or quasi-randomized controlled trials on antibiotics employed as therapy in scrub typhus management. We performed a network meta-analysis to obtain their relative efficacy. The outcome measures for efficacy were cure rate and non-relapse rate. To evaluate their relative cost-effectiveness in Korea and China, a decision analytic model simulating a cohort of scrub typhus patients using antibiotics as therapy was constructed from a societal perspective over 8 weeks. The number of cure cases per 1000 patients and the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated. RESULTS: We identified 11 relevant articles for network meta-analysis. Of the seven comparisons (azithromycin, chloramphenicol, doxycycline, high-dose rifampin, low-dose rifampin, telithromycin, tetracycline) included in the network meta-analysis, tetracycline was the most effective drug for the treatment of scrub typhus, but the difference is not significant. In the cost-effectiveness analysis, all the treatments were dominated by tetracycline in Korea and China. CONCLUSIONS: Tetracycline is the most economic drug for the treatment of scrub typhus. Hence, tetracycline is recommended as the first choice for the treatment of scrub typhus without contraindications in China and Korea.
Abstract licence: CC BY
S. Johnston, F. Blasi, P. Black, et al.
The New England journal of medicine, 2006
- Acute Disease
- Adrenal Cortex Hormones
- Anti-Bacterial Agents
D. Felmingham, R. Reinert, Y. Hirakata, et al.
The Journal of antimicrobial chemotherapy, 2002
- Drug Resistance, Microbial
- Macrolides
- Ketolides
Xiu-Min Li, Feng-chun Wang, Feng Yang, et al.
Chinese Medical Journal, 2013
- Anti-Bacterial Agents
- Respiratory Tract Infections
- Clarithromycin
BACKGROUND: The emergence of bacterial resistance to commonly used antibiotics, such as macrolides, is complicating the management of respiratory tract infections (RTIs). Telithromycin, a ketolide antimicrobial structurally related to macrolides, is approved for the treatment of community-acquired RTIs, and shows lower pathogen resistance rates. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of telithromycin with clarithromycin, a macrolide routinely used as therapy for RTIs. METHODS: We performed a meta-analysis of relevant randomized-controlled trials (RCTs) identified in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Embase, CNKI and VIP databases. The primary efficacy outcome was clinical treatment success assessed at the test-of-cure time in the per-protocol population, and the primary safety outcome was drug related adverse effects. RESULTS: Seven RCTs, involving 2845 patients with RTIs, were included in the meta-analysis. Oral telithromycin and clarithromycin showed a similar clinical treatment success in modified intention to treat and per-protocol population (cure and improvement) (odds ratios (ORs): 0.84, 95% confidence intervals (CI): 0.64 - 1.11 and OR: 1.14, 95%CI: 0.71 - 1.85, respectively). Similar findings were obtained for secondary efficacy outcomes: clinical treatment success at a late post-therapy visit (OR: 0.92, 95%CI: 0.57 - 1.48) and microbiological treatment success at the test-of-cure time (OR: 1.14; 95%CI: 0.71 - 1.85). The safety outcome analysis indicated telithromycin had a similar risk of drug-related adverse effect and serious adverse effect with clarithromycin. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that oral telithromycin and clarithromycin have similar treatment efficacy and adverse effect. The advantages of lower antimicrobial resistance rates, once-daily short-duration dosing and reported lower health-care costs make oral telithromycin a useful option for the empiric management of mild-to-moderate RTIs.
Abstract licence: CC BY-NC-ND
J. Zuckerman, Fozia Qamar, Bartholomew R. Bono
The Medical clinics of North America, 2011
J. Zuckerman, Fozia Qamar, Bartholomew R. Bono
Infectious disease clinics of North America, 2009
- Tigecycline
- Anti-Bacterial Agents
- Bacterial Infections
A. Brinker, Ronald T. Wassel, J. Lyndly, et al.
Hepatology, 2009
- Anti-Bacterial Agents
- Ascites
- Jaundice
Ma CX, Li Y, Liu WT, et al.
2024
Abstract Conventional macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B-ketolide (MLS B K) antibiotics are unable to counter the growing challenge of antibiotic resistance that is conferred by the constitutive methylation of rRNA base A2058 or its G2058 mutation, while the presence of unmodified A2058 is crucial for high selectivity of traditional MLS B K in targeting pathogens over human cells. The absence of effective modes of action reinforces the prevailing belief that constitutively antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus remains impervious to existing macrolides including telithromycin. Here, we report the design and synthesis of a novel series of macrolides, featuring the strategic fusion of ketolide and quinolone moieties. Our effort led to the discovery of two potent compounds, MCX-219 and MCX-190, demonstrating enhanced antibacterial efficacy against a broad spectrum of formidable pathogens, including A2058-methylated Staphylococcus aureus , Streptococcus pneumoniae , Streptococcus pyogenes , and notably, the clinical Mycoplasma pneumoniae isolates harboring A2058G mutations which are implicated in the recent pneumonia outbreak in China. Mechanistic studies reveal that the modified quinolone moiety of MCX-190 establishes a distinctive secondary binding site within the nascent peptide exit tunnel. Structure-activity relationship analysis underscores the importance of this secondary binding, maintained by a sandwich-like π–π stacking interaction and a water–magnesium bridge, for effective engagement with A2058-methylated ribosomes rather than topoisomerases targeted by quinolone antibiotics. Our findings not only highlight MCX-219 and MCX-190 as promising candidates for next-generation MLS B K antibiotics to combat antibiotic resistance, but also pave the way for the future rational design of the class of MLS B K antibiotics, offering a strategic framework to overcome the challenges posed by escalating antibiotic resistance.
Abstract licence: CC BY
Campbell MJ, Beenken KE, Spencer HJ, et al.
2024
- Staphylococcal Infections
- Staphylococcus aureus
- Anti-Bacterial Agents
ABSTRACT Biofilm formation is an important characteristic of many Staphylococcus aureus infections because it limits the efficacy of host defenses and conventional antibiotic therapy. There are many literature reports that describe small molecule inhibitors of S. aureus biofilm formation, but the lack of direct comparisons and differences in the methods used to assess inhibition make it impossible to assess the efficacy of these compounds relative to each other. To address this, we compared 19 compounds reported in the literature to be inhibitors of S. aureus biofilm formation. We used the methicillin-susceptible clinical osteomyelitis isolate UAMS-1 in a microtiter plate biofilm assay shown to maximize biofilm formation and provide results consistent with those observed in vivo . Under these conditions, telithromycin (Ketek) showed the greatest inhibitory activity, limiting biofilm formation to a degree comparable to a UAMS-1 sarA mutant at a concentration of 0.49 µM (0.40 µg/mL). Similar results were obtained for the methicillin-resistant USA300 strain LAC. Telithromycin is a bacteriostatic ketolide antibiotic that is not currently approved in the United States for use as an antibiotic due to its concerning safety profile. However, the concentration required to limit growth in vitro was higher than the concentration required to limit biofilm formation, suggesting that low-dose telithromycin might be useful to limit biofilm formation and increase the efficacy of other antibiotics in biofilm-associated infections. Irrespective of whether telithromycin is ultimately proven clinically useful in this regard, these results emphasize the need for widespread use of a standardized in vitro approach to evaluate prospective inhibitors. IMPORTANCE Because biofilm formation is such a problematic feature of Staphylococcus aureus infections, much effort has been put into identifying biofilm inhibitors. However, the results observed with these compounds are often reported in isolation, and the methods used to assess biofilm formation vary between labs, making it impossible to assess relative efficacy and prioritize among these putative inhibitors for further study. The studies we report address this issue by directly comparing putative biofilm inhibitors using a consistent in vitro assay. This assay was previously shown to maximize biofilm formation, and the results observed with this assay have been proven to be relevant in vivo . Of the 19 compounds compared using this method, many had no impact on biofilm formation under these conditions. Indeed, only one proved effective at limiting biofilm formation without also inhibiting growth.
Abstract licence: CC BY
Hu Y, Ouyang L, Li D, et al.
2023
- Staphylococcal Infections
- Ketolides
- Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus
BACKGROUND: This study aims to explore the antibacterial activity of cethromycin against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and its relationship with multilocus sequence typing (MLST), erythromycin ribosomal methylase (erm) genes and macrolide-lincosamide-streptogramin B (MLSB) phenotypes of S. aureus. RESULTS: The minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of cethromycin against 245 S. aureus clinical isolates ranged from 0.03125 to ≥ 8 mg/L, with the resistance of 38.8% in 121 methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA). This study also found that cethromycin had strong antibacterial activity against S. aureus, with the MIC ≤ 0.5 mg/L in 55.4% of MRSA and 60.5% of methicillin-sensitive S. aureus (MSSA), respectively. The main MLSTs of 121 MRSA were ST239 and ST59, and the resistance of ST239 isolates to cethromycin was higher than that in ST59 isolates (P = 0.034). The top five MLSTs of 124 MSSA were ST7, ST59, ST398, ST88 and ST120, but there was no difference in the resistance of MSSA to cethromycin between these STs. The resistance of ermA isolates to cethromycin was higher than that of ermB or ermC isolates in MRSA (P = 0.016 and 0.041, respectively), but the resistance of ermB or ermC isolates to cethromycin was higher than that of ermA isolates in MSSA (P = 0.019 and 0.026, respectively). The resistance of constitutive MLSB (cMLSB) phenotype isolates to cethromycin was higher than that of inducible MLSB (iMLSB) phenotype isolates in MRSA (P < 0.001) or MSSA (P = 0.036). The ermA, ermB and ermC genes was mainly found in ST239, ST59 and ST1 isolates in MRSA, respectively. Among the MSSA, the ermC gene was more detected in ST7, ST88 and ST120 isolates, but more ermB genes were detected in ST59 and ST398 isolates. The cMLSB phenotype was more common in ST239 and ST59 isolates of MRSA, and was more frequently detected in ST59, ST398, and ST120 isolates of MSSA. CONCLUSION: Cethromycin had strong antibacterial activity against S. aureus. The resistance of MRSA to cethromycin may had some clonal aggregation in ST239. The resistance of S. aureus carrying various erm genes or MLSB phenotypes to cethromycin was different.
Abstract licence: CC BY
Sources: aggregated from Europe PMC (EMBL-EBI), OpenAlex, Crossref, PubMed and other open scholarly databases. Retracted articles are excluded. Study information is provided for research purposes and does not constitute medical advice.
Pharmacology and chemical data from DrugBank
Key facts
Drug status
Approved
Major interactions
6 found
Half-life
2-3 hours
Mechanism
Telithromycin acts by binding to domains II and V of 23S rRNA of the 50S ribosomal subunit.
Food interactions
1 warning
Human targets
None mapped
Data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Pharmacokinetics at a glance
Absorption
57%
Half-life
2-3 hours
Protein binding
60 - 70%
Volume of distribution
2.9 L/kg
Metabolism
50%
Elimination
7%
Pharmacokinetic data: DrugBank · CC BY-NC 4.0
Known interactions with other medications. Always consult a healthcare professional.
Showing 50 of 1156 interactions
How the body processes this drug — absorption, distribution, metabolism, and elimination
Enzymes involved in drug metabolism — important for understanding drug interactions
Proteins that transport this drug across cell membranes
PMID:10358072 PMID:15159445 PMID:17412826
Shows broad substrate specificity, can transport both organic anions such as bile acid taurocholate (cholyltaurine) and conjugated steroids (dehydroepiandrosterone 3-sulfate, 17-beta-glucuronosyl estradiol, and estrone 3-sulfate), as well as eicosanoids (prostaglandin E2, thromboxane B2, leukotriene C4, and leukotriene E4), and thyroid hormones (T4/L-thyroxine, and T3/3,3',5'-triiodo-L-thyronine) .
PMID:10358072 PMID:10601278 PMID:10873595 PMID:11159893 PMID:12196548 PMID:12568656 PMID:15159445 PMID:15970799 PMID:16627748 PMID:17412826 PMID:19129463 PMID:26979622
Can take up bilirubin glucuronides from plasma into the liver, contributing to the detoxification-enhancing liver-blood shuttling loop .
PMID:22232210
Involved in the clearance of endogenous and exogenous substrates from the liver .
PMID:10358072 PMID:10601278
Transports coproporphyrin I and III, by-products of heme synthesis, and may be involved in their hepatic disposition .
PMID:26383540
May contribute to regulate the transport of organic compounds in testes across the blood-testis-barrier (Probable). Can transport HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (also known as statins), such as pravastatin and pitavastatin, a clinically important class of hypolipidemic drugs .
PMID:10601278 PMID:15159445 PMID:15970799
May play an important role in plasma and tissue distribution of the structurally diverse chemotherapeutic drug methotrexate .
PMID:23243220
May also transport antihypertension agents, such as the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor prodrug enalapril, and the highly selective angiotensin II AT1-receptor antagonist valsartan, in the liver .
PMID:16624871 PMID:16627748
Shows a pH-sensitive substrate specificity towards prostaglandin E2 and T4 which may be ascribed to the protonation state of the binding site and leads to a stimulation of substrate transport in an acidic microenvironment .
PMID:19129463
Hydrogencarbonate/HCO3(-) acts as the probable counteranion that exchanges for organic anions PMID:19129463
PMID:10779507 PMID:15159445 PMID:17412826
Shows broad substrate specificity, can transport both organic anions such as bile acid taurocholate (cholyltaurine) and conjugated steroids (17-beta-glucuronosyl estradiol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEAS), and estrone 3-sulfate), as well as eicosanoid leukotriene C4, prostaglandin E2 and L-thyroxine (T4) .
PMID:10779507 PMID:11159893 PMID:12568656 PMID:15159445 PMID:17412826 PMID:19129463
Hydrogencarbonate/HCO3(-) acts as the probable counteranion that exchanges for organic anions .
PMID:19129463
Shows a pH-sensitive substrate specificity towards sulfated steroids, taurocholate and T4 which may be ascribed to the protonation state of the binding site and leads to a stimulation of substrate transport in an acidic microenvironment .
PMID:19129463
Involved in the clearance of bile acids and organic anions from the liver .
PMID:22232210
Can take up bilirubin glucuronides from plasma into the liver, contributing to the detoxification-enhancing liver-blood shuttling loop .
PMID:22232210
Transports coproporphyrin I and III, by-products of heme synthesis, and may be involved in their hepatic disposition .
PMID:26383540
May contribute to regulate the transport of organic compounds in testes across the blood-testis-barrier (Probable). Can transport HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (also known as statins) such as pitavastatin, a clinically important class of hypolipidemic drugs .
PMID:15159445
May play an important role in plasma and tissue distribution of the structurally diverse chemotherapeutic drugs methotrexate and paclitaxel .
PMID:23243220
May also transport antihypertension agents, such as the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor prodrug enalapril, and the highly selective angiotensin II AT1-receptor antagonist valsartan, in the liver PMID:16624871 PMID:16627748
ATC J01FA15
Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
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Chemical identifiers
CAS, UNII, InChI Key and database cross-references
Linked compound data from DrugBank Open Data (CC BY-NC 4.0)
Telithromycin
Additional database identifiers
Drugs Product Database (DPD)
13168
ChemSpider
2273373
BindingDB
50378137
PDB
TEL
ZINC
ZINC000009574770
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:2637
GenAtlas
CYP3A4
GeneCards
CYP3A4
GenBank Gene Database
M18907
Guide to Pharmacology
1337
UniProt Accession
CP3A4_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:10959
GenAtlas
SLCO1B1
GeneCards
SLCO1B1
GenBank Gene Database
AF060500
GenBank Protein Database
5051630
Guide to Pharmacology
1220
UniProt Accession
SO1B1_HUMAN
HUGO Gene Nomenclature Committee (HGNC)
HGNC:10961
GeneCards
SLCO1B3
GenBank Gene Database
AJ251506
GenBank Protein Database
9187497
Guide to Pharmacology
1221
UniProt Accession
SO1B3_HUMAN
DrugBank citations
If you use DrugBank data in your research, please cite the following publications:
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Structured knowledge from the free knowledge base
ATC classifications (Wikidata)
Linked open data from Wikidata (Q2736135), a free and open knowledge base operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Data is available under the Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication.