Trius Reports New Findings on Mechanisms of Antibiotic Resistance in MRSA

Trius Therapeutics, Inc. TSRX today reported new findings on torezolid phosphate (TR-701), a second generation oxazolidinone antibiotic now in Phase 3 clinical development. The data elucidate the mechanism by which torezolid retains full activity against clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) carrying the cfr gene which confers resistance to first generation oxazolidinones such as linezolid, marketed by Pfizer as Zyvox®. Hospital outbreaks of linezolid resistant cfr strains of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) have been reported worldwide and increasing use of linezolid may promote further dissemination of this plasmid borne resistance gene. Two separate articles featuring discussion of these data have been published online ahead of print on September 13 in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (AAC), a peer-reviewed journal of the American Society for Microbiology.