Telavancin

Telavancin is a prescription medication used for the treatment of skin and skin structure infections, and pneumonia. 

• Telavancin is available under various brand names: Vibativ

Common side effects of Telavancin include:

• flushing of the upper body if this medication is injected too fast ("red man syndrome")
• metallic/soapy/unusual taste in the mouth
• nausea
• vomiting
• foamy urine
• diarrhea
• stomach pain
• loss of appetite
• chills or shivering
• headache
• dizziness
• vaginal itching or discharge
• skin rash or itching, or
• redness or pain around the IV needle.

Serious side effects of Telavancin include:

• watery or bloody diarrhea,
• drowsiness,
• confusion,
• mood changes,
• increased thirst,
• swelling,
• weight gain,
• shortness of breath, or
• urinating less than usual or not at all.

Rare side effects of Telavancin include:

• none

Seek medical care or call 911 at once if you have the following serious side effects:

• Severe headache, confusion, slurred speech, arm or leg weakness, trouble walking, loss of coordination, feeling unsteady, very stiff muscles, high fever, profuse sweating, or tremors;
• Serious eye symptoms such as sudden vision loss, blurred vision, tunnel vision, eye pain or swelling, or seeing halos around lights;
• Serious heart symptoms include fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeats; fluttering in the chest; shortness of breath; sudden dizziness, lightheadedness, or passing out.

This is not a complete list of side effects and other serious side effects or health problems that may occur because of the use of this drug. Call your doctor for medical advice about serious side effects or adverse reactions. You may report side effects or health problems to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Adult dosage

Injection, lyophilized powder

• 750 mg/vial

Skin & Skin Structure Infections

Adult dosage

• 10 mg/kg IV every 24 hours for 7-14 days; infuse over 1 hr

Pneumonia

Adult dosage

• 10 mg/kg IV every 24 hours for 7-21 days; infuse over 1 hr

Dosage Considerations – Should be Given as Follows: 

• See “Dosages”

If your medical doctor is using this medicine to treat your pain, your doctor or pharmacist may already be aware of any possible drug interactions and may be monitoring you for them. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicine before checking with your doctor, health care provider, or pharmacist first.

• Telavancin has severe interactions with no other drugs.
• Telavancin has serious interactions with at least 42 other drugs.
• Telavancin has moderate interactions with at least 122 other drugs.
• Telavancin has minor interactions with the following drugs:
  • azithromycin
  • chloroquine
  • entecavir
  • pazopanib

This information does not contain all possible interactions or adverse effects. Visit the RxList Drug Interaction Checker for any drug interactions. Therefore, before using this product, tell your doctor or pharmacist about all your products. Keep a list of all your medications with you and share this information with your doctor and pharmacist. Check with your healthcare professional or doctor for additional medical advice, or if you have health questions or concerns.

Contraindications

• Hypersensitivity
• Use of intravenous unfractionated heparin sodium

Effects of drug abuse

• None

Short-Term Effects

• See “What Are Side Effects Associated with Using Telavancin?”

Long-Term Effects

• See “What Are Side Effects Associated with Using Telavancin?”

Cautions

• New onset or worsening renal impairment has been reported (monitor renal function)
• Efficacy decreased with moderate-to-severe baseline renal impairment (ie, CrCl less than 50 mL/min) for skin and skin structure infections
• Administer over at least 1 hr to minimize infusion-related adverse reactions
• Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea may occur
• May prolong QTc interval; coadministration with other drugs that prolong QTc interval (eg, phenothiazine, TCAs, macrolide antibiotics, class I and III antiarrhythmic agents) increased risk for life-threatening arrhythmias
• Interferes with coagulation tests including PT, INR, and APT, but does not interfere with coagulation

Pregnancy & Lactation

• There is a pregnancy registry that monitors pregnancy outcomes in women exposed to therapy during pregnancy; physicians are encouraged to register pregnant patients, or pregnant women may enroll themselves in the VIBATIV pregnancy registry by calling 1-877-484-2700
• There are no available data on therapy use in pregnant women to evaluate for a drug-associated risk of major birth defects, miscarriage, or adverse maternal or fetal outcomes; based on findings in animal reproduction studies, the drug may cause fetal harm; advise pregnant women of the potential risk to the fetus; estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population is unknown
• In embryo-fetal development studies in rats, rabbits, and minipigs, telavancin demonstrated the potential to cause limb and skeletal malformations when given intravenously during the period of organogenesis at doses providing approximately 1- to 2-fold the human exposure at maximum recommended clinical dose
• Verify pregnancy status in females of reproductive potential before initiating therapy
• Contraception
  • Females: Therapy may cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman; advise females of reproductive potential to use effective contraception during treatment and for 2 days after the final dose
• Infertility
  • Males: Based on findings in rats, therapy may impair male fertility; the effect on fertility was reversible in rats
• Lactation
  • There are no data on the presence of telavancin in human milk, its effects on the breastfed child, or milk production; developmental and health benefits of breastfeeding should be considered along with the mother’s clinical need for therapy and any potential adverse effects on the breastfed child from the drug or underlying maternal conditions