Flucloxacillin

At Flucloxacillin it is a so-called narrow-spectrum antibiotic. In contrast to broad-spectrum antibiotics, it only works against a small number of pathogens. Flucloxacillin belongs to the pharmacological group of penicillins and more precisely to the isoxazolylpenicillins. The drug is primarily used to treat infectious diseases caused by Staphylococcus aureus.

What is flucloxacillin?

The active ingredient flucloxacillin is an acid-stable substance that passes through the stomach without impairment. The half-life of the substance is on average around 45 minutes. Basically, the drug is easily accessible to tissue and, for example, also crosses the placental barrier. In addition, the active ingredient passes into breast milk, which must be taken into account as part of a therapy that takes place during pregnancy.

The active ingredient flucloxacillin is mainly excreted through the kidneys. A small proportion is also excreted in the bile.

In principle, flucloxacillin is a so-called penicillinase-resistant antibiotic. It was primarily developed to treat staphylococci, which produce β-lactamases. For this reason the substance is sometimes also called Staphylococcal penicillin designated.

In addition, the drug flucloxacillin belongs to the group of isoxazolyl antibiotics. The active ingredient cloxacillin also belongs to this category. On its basis, however, there are no medicinal substances in Germany that are approved for humans. In addition, the substances oxacillin and dicloxacillin also belong to the group of isoxazolyl antibiotics.

Cloxacillin is on the WHO list of indispensable drugs. According to the World Health Organization, it is possible to replace this substance with active ingredients from the same category of drugs. In Germany, the drugs oxacillin or flucloxacillin are used for this purpose.

There is also a drug called methicillin that is also resistant to penicillinase. However, this is usually only used in the context of resistance tests for MRSE and MRSA. The corresponding germs cannot be treated with the active ingredient flucloxacillin.

Pharmacological effect

The pharmacological preparation Flucloxacillin is primarily characterized by its bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects. The drug shows action against gram-positive germs, which include streptococci or staphylocci, for example.

Unlike many other types of penicillins, such as amoxicillin, the drug flucloxacillin is resistant to β-lactamases. This effect is due to the fact that the substance inhibits bacterial cell wall synthesis by impairing transpeptidases. These are partly responsible for the formation of the peptidoglycan. As flucloxacillin inhibits transpeptidation on the murein strands within the cell walls of the bacteria, the structure of the penicillin is changed. This causes the so-called penicillinase to lose its effectiveness.

In drugs and medicinal preparations, the substance flucloxacillin is present as the sodium salt and more precisely as flucloxacillin sodium. It is a white powder with a crystalline appearance. In addition, the powder has hygroscopic properties and dissolves easily in water.

The name Flucloxacillin is an abbreviation and stands for the substance fluorine-chlorine-oxacillin. In Switzerland, the drug cloxacillin is also available on the market. It is chloro-oxacillin that does not contain fluorine. In Switzerland, however, this medicinal substance is only used in veterinary medicine and is not intended for human therapy.

Medical application & use

Flucloxacillin is used for various diseases. The main indication is usually infectious diseases that are triggered by penicillinase-forming staphylococci. These include, for example, infections that affect the skin or mucous membranes as well as those that affect the respiratory tract and bones.

Basically, those staphylococci strains that are sensitive to penicillin G react weaker to the active ingredient flucloxacillin. The substance is also less effective than penicillin G against other gram-positive pathogens. In the majority of cases, flucloxacillin is administered intravenously.

Flucloxacillin is suitable for the treatment of infectious diseases that are caused by a special type of staphylococcus. These include, for example, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis. In addition, the pathogens Klebsiella pneumoniae, Streptococcus pyogenes, various types of Neisseria and Bacillus anthracis belong to this category.

For example, the active ingredient flucloxacillin is also used for infections in the tissue of soft tissues, for example in the context of abscesses or boils. The drug can also be used to treat paronychia and pyoderma. Flucloxacillin is also effective against certain bone marrow infections.

Risks & side effects

Indigestion and skin rashes often occur during treatment with the active ingredient flucloxacillin. Liver diseases associated with biliary obstruction are less common.

Flucloxacillin must not be administered if there is an intolerance to the active substance or to other penicillins. Avoiding the active ingredient is also recommended in the case of severe liver dysfunction. In addition, caution is advised in the context of bronchial asthma. In this case, it is advisable to prescribe alternatives.