Tygacil

Product Overview

About Tygacil

Tygacil is a powder that is made up into a solution for infusion (drip into a vein). It contains the active substance tigecycline.

What it is used for

Tygacil is used to treat adults and children older than eight years with complicated infections of the skin and soft tissue (the tissue below the skin), but not foot infections in people with diabetes. It is also used to treat complicated infections in the abdomen. ‘Complicated’ means that the infection is difficult to treat. Tygacil should be used only when other antibiotics are not suitable. Before using Tygacil, doctors should consider official guidance on the appropriate use of antibiotics. The medicine can only be obtained with a prescription.

How it is used

In adults, the recommended dose of Tygacil is a starting dose of 100 mg, followed by 50 mg every 12 hours for five to 14 days. Each infusion should last between 30 and 60 minutes. The length of treatment depends on where the infection is, how severe it is, and the patient’s response to treatment. Doses are lower in patients with severe liver problems. In children above eight years of age, treatment is only given after consulting with a doctor with appropriate experience in the management of infectious diseases, and should be given as an infusion over a period of 60 minutes. In children from 8 to 12 years old a dose of 1.2 mg per kilogram body weight is given by infusion into a vein every twelve hours, up to a maximum dose of 50 mg every 12 hours. Treatment lasts from 5 to 14 days. In children from 12 to 18 years a dose of 50 mg is given every 12 hours for a period of 5 to 14 days.

How it works

The active substance in Tygacil, tigecycline, belongs to a group of antibiotics called ‘glycylcyclines’. It works by blocking the bacteria’s ribosomes, the parts of the cell where new proteins are made. By blocking the production of new proteins, the bacteria cannot multiply and they eventually die.

Active substance: tigecycline

Source: EMA EPAR