Vancomycin
VancocinPubChem CID 14969 · 3D model
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Stops bacteria from building their protective outer wall, so the bacteria fall apart and die.
How it works
Vancomycin kills bacteria mainly by stopping them from building their outer protective wall; without a properly formed wall, the bacteria break apart and die. It may also disrupt the bacteria's outer membrane and interfere with how they copy genetic instructions, adding to the killing effect. It only works against certain gram-positive bacteria, including staph and enterococcus, including strains resistant to other antibiotics like methicillin — it doesn't work on gram-negative bacteria, tuberculosis-type bacteria, or fungi. Because the body barely absorbs vancomycin when swallowed, doctors give it through an IV for infections in the bloodstream or tissues, while a swallowed version is reserved specifically for gut infections like C. difficile colitis, acting directly in the intestines without needing to enter the bloodstream.
What it’s used for
Used for serious infections caused by staph bacteria resistant to standard antibiotics like penicillin, including in patients who are allergic to penicillin or haven't responded to it. It treats staph infections of the heart valves (endocarditis), bloodstream, bones, lungs, and skin. It can also be combined with another antibiotic to treat certain heart-valve infections caused by strep or enterococcus bacteria. A swallowed version of the same drug is used specifically to treat a gut infection called C. difficile colitis (and a related staph gut infection) — but taken by mouth it doesn't reach the bloodstream, so it only works for these localized gut infections, not systemic ones.
- Mechanism
- Glycopeptide antibiotic, inhibits bacterial cell-wall (peptidoglycan) biosynthesis
- Drug class
- Small molecule
- Therapeutic area
- Antibiotic