TUESDAY, May 31 (HealthDay News) -- Dificid (fidaxomicin) has
been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat
diarrhea associated with
Clostridium difficile infection.
The bacterial illness, commonly acquired by the elderly and
others with weakened immune systems in hospitals and group
settings, is abbreviated
C. diff. It is easily passed from person to person by touching contaminated surfaces, the FDA said in a news release.
The infection frequently causes diarrhea, can lead to colitis
and other intestinal conditions, and may cause death in severe
cases, the agency said. In some people, the illness can recur.
Dificid was evaluated in clinical studies involving 564 people
with
C. diff -associated diarrhea. More people who took Dificid
were still symptom-free three weeks after stopping treatment than
those who took a common antibiotic, vancomycin, the FDA said.
Recommended dosage with Dificid is twice daily for 10 days. The
most common side effects reported included nausea, vomiting,
headache, abdominal pain and diarrhea.
Dificid was developed by Optimer Pharmaceuticals, based in San
Diego.
More information
To learn more about this illness, visit the U.S.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.