Kantrex: FDA Approved Drug in Treating Antibiotic-Resistant Staph Infections

Staph infections can be quite difficult to treat. With many staph infections resistant to antibiotic treatment, individuals who suffer from staph often find they require intravenously administered antibiotic therapy.

In the fight against antibiotic-resistant staph infections, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company has manufactured and FDA approved injection known as Kantrex. As a drug that is rapidly absorbed through intramuscular injection, Kantrex carried the strength to fight many types of antibiotic-resistant infections, including staph infections.

Following the dosing pattern of 7.5 milligrams per kilogram of weight, patients with antibiotic-resistant staph infections usually begin to notice a change in the infection in as little as one hour. While Kantrex can be administered by IV, there is no therapeutic benefit to doing so.

As an FDA approved drug, Kantrex injections do present with some side effects. Usually administered through the gluteal muscle, Kantrex is processed through the renal system and kidneys. As a result, patients who are suffering from pre-existing complications of the renal system, should be carefully monitored before and during use of Kantrex.

In addition to renal complications, nausea, vomiting and general gastrointestinal discomfort are quite common when using Kantrex injections for treatment of resistant staph infections. In addition, because the use of Kantrex may affect the neurological system, individuals who are given this antibiotic injection, as part of staph infection treatment, often report neuromuscular weakness.

As a category D drug, Kantrex is not indicated in the use of pregnant women. As an antibiotic that is quickly absorbed into the blood stream, there is a risk for passing through the placenta, affecting the development of a growing fetus. In fact, in cases of Kantrex use during pregnancy, women have reported complications involving irreversible birth defects in their newborns.