Tag: Synercid

First approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1999, the trade name for quinupristin is Synercid, a potent intravenous antibiotic. It is notably used for serious or life-threatening infections caused by bacteria that have developed resistance to other medications.

Streptogramins are effective in treating vancomycin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (VRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE), two of the most rapidly growing strains of multidrug-resistant bacteria [1.2.1]. So, what class of drugs are streptogramins, and how do they work?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the increasing threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as vancomycin-resistant *Enterococcus faecium* (VRE), has made once-effective medications obsolete. As a response to this challenge, healthcare providers turned to specialized antibiotics, and this is where you find what the drug quinupristin is used for—primarily in its combination with dalfopristin, known by the brand name Synercid. This combination targets specific severe, multi-drug-resistant infections that have exhausted other treatment options.

Streptogramins are a class of antibiotics that are significantly more effective when two distinct components are combined, demonstrating a synergistic and bactericidal effect against many resistant bacteria. Produced naturally by *Streptomyces* species, these drugs represent a critical last-resort option for severe, multidrug-resistant infections.