MONDAY, June 23, 2014 (HealthDay News) — The antibiotic Sivextro (tedizolid phosphate) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat adults with serious or life-threatening skin infections.

The drug, which may be taken intravenously or by a pill, is designed to treat infections including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the FDA said in a news release.

The drug’s safety and effectiveness were evaluated in clinical studies involving more than 1,300 adults with serious-to-severe skin infections. The most common side effects recorded were nausea, headache, diarrhea, vomiting and dizziness. The drug was not evaluated among adults with below-normal counts of germ-fighting white blood cells, the agency said.

Sivextro is the second new antibiotic for skin infections to be FDA-approved in the past month, following the May 23 approval of Dalvance (dalbavancin).

Sivextro is marketed by Cubist Pharmaceuticals, baaed in Lexington, Mass.

— Scott Roberts

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