In what types of bacterial infections is tigecycline used?

Tigecycline is approved for complicated skin and skin structure infections, complicated intra-abdominal infections, and community-acquired bacterial pneumonia.

What organisms does tigecycline cover best?
It shows reliable activity against many Gram-positive pathogens, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus, as well as extended-spectrum β-lactamase–producing Enterobacterales and some anaerobes. Activity against Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus species is poor.

When would clinicians choose tigecycline over other agents?
It is reserved for cases in which other antibiotics are unsuitable because of resistance or allergy, and for patients who cannot tolerate β-lactams or fluoroquinolones. The drug is given only by intravenous infusion, so it is used mainly in hospitalized patients.

How does tigecycline compare with linezolid or daptomycin?
Unlike linezolid, tigecycline is not orally available. Compared with daptomycin, it offers broader Gram-negative coverage but lacks reliable activity against bloodstream infections.

What safety concerns do prescribers weigh?
The FDA added a boxed warning after trials showed higher all-cause mortality with tigecycline than with comparator antibiotics. Liver-enzyme elevations and nausea are common; dose adjustment is not required in renal impairment but is advised in severe hepatic impairment.

When does the key patent expire?
The composition-of-matter patent for tigecycline expired in 2015; generic versions are now marketed in the United States.