Description and Brand Names

Drug information provided by: Merative, Micromedex®

US Brand Name

  1. Cubicin
  2. Cubicin RF
  3. Dapzura RT

Descriptions


Daptomycin injection is used to treat complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI). It is also used to treat infections in the bloodstream (bacteremia), including right-sided infective endocarditis.

Daptomycin belongs to the class of medicines known as antibiotics. It works by killing bacteria or preventing their growth. However, this medicine will not work for colds, flu, or other virus infections.

This medicine is to be given only by or under the direct supervision of your doctor.

This product is available in the following dosage forms:

  • Powder for Solution

Before Using

In deciding to use a medicine, the risks of taking the medicine must be weighed against the good it will do. This is a decision you and your doctor will make. For this medicine, the following should be considered:

Allergies

Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to this medicine or any other medicines. Also tell your health care professional if you have any other types of allergies, such as to foods, dyes, preservatives, or animals. For non-prescription products, read the label or package ingredients carefully.

Pediatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated pediatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of daptomycin injection in children. However, safety and efficacy have not been established in children younger than 1 year of age.

Geriatric

Appropriate studies performed to date have not demonstrated geriatric-specific problems that would limit the usefulness of daptomycin injection in the elderly. However, elderly patients are more likely to have increased unwanted side effects, which may require caution in patients receiving daptomycin injection.

Breastfeeding

There are no adequate studies in women for determining infant risk when using this medication during breastfeeding. Weigh the potential benefits against the potential risks before taking this medication while breastfeeding.

Drug Interactions

Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are receiving this medicine, it is especially important that your healthcare professional know if you are taking any of the medicines listed below. The following interactions have been selected on the basis of their potential significance and are not necessarily all-inclusive.

Using this medicine with any of the following medicines is usually not recommended, but may be required in some cases. If both medicines are prescribed together, your doctor may change the dose or how often you use one or both of the medicines.

  • Atorvastatin
  • Cerivastatin
  • Fluvastatin
  • Lovastatin
  • Pitavastatin
  • Pravastatin
  • Rosuvastatin
  • Simvastatin

Other Interactions

Certain medicines should not be used at or around the time of eating food or eating certain types of food since interactions may occur. Using alcohol or tobacco with certain medicines may also cause interactions to occur. Discuss with your healthcare professional the use of your medicine with food, alcohol, or tobacco.

Other Medical Problems

The presence of other medical problems may affect the use of this medicine. Make sure you tell your doctor if you have any other medical problems, especially:

  • Diarrhea or
  • Muscle problems (eg, myopathy, rhabdomyolysis) or
  • Nerve problems (eg, neuropathy)—Use with caution. May make these conditions worse.
  • Hereditary fructose intolerance (HFI), known or suspected—Dapzura RT should not be used in patients with this condition. This medicine contains sorbitol, which can cause serious side effects in patients with HFI.
  • Kidney disease—Use with caution. The effects may be increased because of slower removal of the medicine from the body.
  • Lung or breathing problems (eg, pneumonia)—Use is not indicated to treat patients with this condition.
  • Staphylococcus infection, persisting or relapsing—Patients with this condition should have repeated blood tests.

Proper Use

A nurse or other trained health professional will give you this medicine. This medicine is given through a needle placed into one of your veins. This medicine may be injected for 2 minutes (in adults only) or up to 60 minutes.

To help clear up your infection completely, keep using this medicine for the full time of treatment, even if you begin to feel better after a few days. Also, this medicine works best when there is a constant amount in the blood. To help keep the amount constant, you must receive this medicine on a regular schedule.

Precautions

Your doctor will check your progress closely while you are receiving this medicine. This will allow your doctor to see if the medicine is working properly and to decide if you should continue to receive it. Blood and urine tests may be needed to check for unwanted effects.

If your symptoms do not improve within a few days or if they become worse, check with your doctor.

This medicine may cause serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, which can be life-threatening and require immediate medical attention. Call your doctor right away if you have a rash, itching, trouble breathing, trouble swallowing, or any swelling of your hands, face, or mouth while you are receiving this medicine.

Call your doctor right away if you develop chest pain, dry cough, fever, general feeling of tiredness or weakness, rapid breathing, trouble breathing, or skin rash after receiving this medicine. These maybe symptoms of a serious condition called eosinophilic pneumonia.

Daptomycin injection may cause diarrhea, and in some cases it can be severe. It may occur 2 months or more after you stop receiving this medicine. Do not take any medicine to treat diarrhea without first checking with your doctor. If you have any questions or if mild diarrhea continues or gets worse, check with your doctor.

If you have unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness while receiving this medicine, check with your doctor right away.

This medicine may cause serious skin reactions, including drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS), which can damage organs, including the liver, kidney, or heart. Check with your doctor if you have black, tarry stools, chest pain, chills, cough, fever, painful or difficult urination, sore throat, sores, ulcers, or white spots on the lips or in the mouth, swollen glands, trouble breathing, unusual bleeding, bruising, tiredness, or weakness.

This medicine may cause a kidney problem called tubulointerstitial nephritis. Check with your doctor right away if you have a bloody or cloudy urine, fever, skin rash, swelling of the feet or lower legs, or greatly decreased frequency of urination or amount of urine.

Check with your doctor right away if you are having burning, numbness, tingling, or painful sensations in the arms, hands, legs, or feet after receiving this medicine. These could be symptoms of a condition called peripheral neuropathy.

Before you have any medical tests, tell the medical doctor in charge that you are receiving this medicine. The results of some tests may be affected by this medicine.

Do not take other medicines unless they have been discussed with your doctor. This especially includes prescription or nonprescription (over-the-counter [OTC]) medicines and herbal or vitamin supplements.

Side Effects

Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.

Check with your doctor or nurse immediately if any of the following side effects occur:

More common

  1. Bloating or swelling of the face, arms, hands, lower legs, or feet
  2. fever
  3. tingling of the hands or feet
  4. unusual weight gain or loss

Less common

  1. Agitation
  2. black, tarry stools
  3. bladder pain
  4. bloody or cloudy urine
  5. blurred vision
  6. chest pain, discomfort, or tightness
  7. chills
  8. confusion
  9. cough
  10. decreased awareness or responsiveness
  11. decreased frequency or amount of urine
  12. depression
  13. diarrhea
  14. difficult, burning, or painful urination
  15. dilated neck veins
  16. dizziness
  17. dry mouth
  18. dryness and peeling of the skin
  19. fainting
  20. faintness or lightheadedness when getting up suddenly from a lying or sitting position
  21. fast heartbeat
  22. frequent urge to urinate
  23. headache
  24. hostility
  25. increased blood pressure
  26. increased thirst
  27. irregular breathing
  28. irregular heartbeat
  29. irritability
  30. itching in the genital or other skin areas
  31. itching, pain, redness, swelling, tenderness, or warmth on the skin
  32. lightheadedness
  33. loss of appetite
  34. loss of consciousness
  35. lower back or side pain
  36. mood changes
  37. muscle pain, cramps, or twitching
  38. nausea
  39. nervousness
  40. numbness or tingling in the hands, feet, or lips
  41. pale skin
  42. pounding in the ears
  43. rapid, shallow breathing
  44. seizures
  45. severe sleepiness
  46. skin rash
  47. slow or fast heartbeat
  48. sneezing
  49. sores, ulcers, or white spots on the lips or in the mouth
  50. sore throat
  51. stomach pain
  52. sweating
  53. swollen glands
  54. trouble breathing
  55. unusual bleeding or bruising
  56. unusual drowsiness, dullness, tiredness, weakness, or feeling of sluggishness
  57. vomiting of blood or material that looks like coffee grounds

Rare

  1. Bleeding gums
  2. blistering, peeling, or loosening of the skin
  3. blood in the urine or stools
  4. burning, crawling, itching, numbness, prickling, "pins and needles", or tingling feelings
  5. clay-colored stools
  6. dark urine
  7. difficulty with moving
  8. drowsiness
  9. eye pain
  10. feeling of warmth
  11. feeling unusually cold
  12. general feeling of illness
  13. hives
  14. hoarseness
  15. increase in bone pain
  16. irritation
  17. joint pain, stiffness, or swelling
  18. loss of appetite
  19. mood or mental changes
  20. no blood pressure or pulse
  21. pinpoint red spots on the skin
  22. rapid heartbeat
  23. redness of the face, neck, arms, and occasionally, upper chest
  24. shivering
  25. skin rash, encrusted, scaly, and oozing
  26. stopping of the heart
  27. swollen, painful, or tender lymph glands in the neck, armpit, or groin
  28. trembling
  29. trouble swallowing
  30. twitching, twisting, uncontrolled repetitive movements of the tongue, lips, face, arms, or legs
  31. unpleasant breath odor
  32. yellow eyes or skin

Incidence not known

  1. Diarrhea, watery, and severe, which may also be bloody
  2. dry cough
  3. puffiness or swelling of the eyelids or around the eyes, face, lips, or tongue
  4. stomach cramps or tenderness

Some side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. Also, your health care professional may be able to tell you about ways to prevent or reduce some of these side effects. Check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome or if you have any questions about them:

More common

  1. Bleeding, blistering, burning, coldness, discoloration of the skin, feeling of pressure, hives, infection, inflammation, itching, lumps, numbness, pain, rash, redness, scarring, soreness, stinging, swelling, tenderness, tingling, ulceration, or warmth at the injection site
  2. difficulty having a bowel movement

Less common

  1. Anxiety
  2. back pain
  3. blurred vision
  4. cold sweats
  5. cool, pale skin
  6. depression
  7. flushed, dry skin
  8. fruit-like breath odor
  9. increased hunger
  10. increased urination
  11. itching of the vagina or outside genitals
  12. lack or loss of strength
  13. limb pain
  14. nervousness
  15. nightmares
  16. pain during sexual intercourse
  17. shakiness
  18. slurred speech
  19. sweating
  20. thick, white, curd-like vaginal discharge without odor or with mild odor
  21. trouble sleeping

Rare

  1. Bad, unusual, or unpleasant (after) taste
  2. belching
  3. change in taste
  4. continuing ringing or buzzing or other unexplained noise in the ears
  5. excess air or gas in the stomach or intestines
  6. feeling of constant movement of self or surroundings
  7. feeling of fullness
  8. hearing loss
  9. heartburn
  10. indigestion
  11. pain or discomfort in the chest, upper stomach, or throat
  12. passing gas
  13. pressure in the stomach
  14. red, sore eyes
  15. seeing, hearing, or feeling things that are not there
  16. sensation of spinning
  17. sore mouth or tongue
  18. swelling of the stomach area
  19. swelling or inflammation of the mouth
  20. white patches in the mouth or on the tongue

Other side effects not listed may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your healthcare professional.

Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Portions of this document last updated: Feb. 01, 2024

Original article: https://www.mayoclinic.org/es/drugs-supplements/daptomycin-intravenous-route/description/drg-20063292