Tigecycline is the First Clinically-Available Drug in a new class of Antibiotics called the Glycylcyclines: A Review

Abstract

Tigecycline is a glycylcycline antibiotic developed and marketed by Wyeth under the brand name Tygacil. It was developed in response to the growing prevalence of antibiotic resistance in bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus. It was granted fast-track approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on June 17, 2005. Tigecycline is the first clinically-available drug in a new class of antibiotics called the glycylcyclines. Glycylcyclines are a new class of antibiotics derived from tetracycline. These tetracycline analogues are specifically designed to overcome two common mechanisms of tetracycline resistance, namely resistance mediated by acquired efflux pumps and/or ribosomal protection. Glycylcycline antibiotics have a similar mechanism of action as tetracycline antibiotics. Both classes of antibiotics bind to the 30S ribosomal subunit to prevent the amino-acyl tRNA from binding to the A site of the ribosome. However, the glycylcyclines appear to bind more effectively than the tetracyclines.