Telavancin Injection
Telavancin is an intravenous antibiotic used to treat serious bacterial skin infections and hospital-acquired or ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia caused by susceptible bacteria.
🧬 Where this information comes from Click to expand
The clinical label records used on this page are FDA-filed Structured Product Labeling (SPL) retrieved through openFDA. We identified 1 clinical label set within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, strengths, and NDC product-record counts are built separately from matching FDA National Drug Code Directory records. The linked DailyMed document is a representative official source for verification, not the page’s only clinical source. View the linked label on DailyMed →
⚠️ FDA Boxed Warning — the FDA’s strongest safety alert ▾
Vibativ carries three serious boxed warnings — the FDA's most prominent safety alert.
Increased risk of death in certain pneumonia patients: In patients who already had moderate to severe kidney disease (defined as creatinine clearance of 50 mL/min or less) and were treated with Vibativ for hospital-acquired or ventilator-associated pneumonia, more deaths occurred compared to patients treated with vancomycin. Vibativ should only be used in these patients if the expected benefit outweighs this risk.
Kidney damage (nephrotoxicity): Vibativ can cause new kidney problems or worsen existing ones. Kidney function must be monitored in all patients throughout treatment.
Fetal harm (embryo-fetal toxicity): Animal studies show telavancin can cause birth defects and developmental harm at doses similar to those used in people. Pregnancy must be ruled out before starting Vibativ. Pregnant women must be informed of the risk. Women who could become pregnant must use effective contraception during treatment and for 2 days after the last dose.
📖 Telavancin Injection: Patient Information Guide
A plain-language walkthrough of Telavancin Injection — what it treats, how it works, how it’s taken, side effects, warnings and interactions. Tap any section to expand it.
🎯What it's used for▾
Telavancin (Vibativ) injection is a hospital-use antibiotic approved for two serious bacterial infections in adults:
- Complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI): Vibativ treats deep or serious skin infections caused by susceptible gram-positive bacteria, including methicillin-susceptible and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Streptococcus pyogenes, Streptococcus agalactiae, Streptococcus anginosus group, and vancomycin-susceptible Enterococcus faecalis.
- Hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia (HABP) and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (VABP): Vibativ is approved for pneumonia caused by susceptible Staphylococcus aureus (both methicillin-susceptible and MRSA strains). It should only be used for this indication when other treatments are not suitable.
- Vibativ should only be used for infections proven or strongly suspected to be caused by susceptible bacteria, to help prevent antibiotic resistance.
⚙️How it works▾
Telavancin is a lipoglycopeptide antibiotic — a type of drug that kills bacteria by disrupting their cell wall, which bacteria need to survive. It targets gram-positive bacteria specifically. Once infused, it distributes into lung fluid (including the epithelial lining fluid and alveolar macrophages) and into skin tissue at levels sufficient to fight the infections it is approved for.
Because telavancin is not broken down by the liver's CYP450 enzyme system — the main metabolic pathway for many drugs — it is unlikely to interact with medications that affect those enzymes.
💊How it's taken▾
Vibativ is given as an intravenous (IV) infusion, administered once every 24 hours. Each infusion must be given slowly — over at least 60 minutes — to reduce the risk of infusion-related reactions. Treatment length varies:
- For skin and skin structure infections: typically 7 to 14 days
- For hospital-acquired or ventilator-associated pneumonia: typically 7 to 21 days
- Patients with reduced kidney function may receive an adjusted dosing schedule — your care team will determine this
Always follow your prescriber's instructions. Vibativ is prepared and given by healthcare professionals; it is not a take-home medication.
🤒Side effects — in detail▾
The most commonly reported side effects depend on the type of infection being treated:
- In pneumonia trials: diarrhea (reported in 10% or more of patients)
- In skin infection trials: altered or metallic taste, nausea, vomiting, and foamy urine (each reported in 10% or more of patients)
- Infusion-related reactions: flushing, hives, itching, or rash — especially if the infusion is given too fast
Seek medical attention right away if you develop signs of kidney problems, a severe allergic reaction, serious diarrhea, or irregular heartbeat — these can be serious and require prompt evaluation.
⚠️Warnings & precautions▾
- Increased mortality with pre-existing kidney disease in pneumonia patients: Patients with moderate to severe kidney impairment treated with Vibativ for HABP/VABP had significantly more deaths than those treated with vancomycin. Use in this group requires a careful benefit-risk assessment.
- Kidney damage (nephrotoxicity): Vibativ can cause new or worsening kidney damage in any patient. Kidney function is monitored before, during, and after treatment.
- Fetal harm: Vibativ caused birth defects in animal studies. Pregnancy must be ruled out before starting treatment. Effective contraception is required during treatment and for 2 days after the last dose.
- Heart rhythm effects (QTc prolongation): Vibativ can lengthen the QTc interval. It should be avoided in patients with congenital long QT syndrome, uncompensated heart failure, or severe left ventricular hypertrophy, and used with caution alongside other QT-prolonging drugs.
- C. difficile-associated diarrhea: Like all antibiotics, Vibativ can trigger a serious gut infection (C. difficile). This can develop even more than 2 months after finishing the antibiotic. Severe or persistent diarrhea should be reported to your doctor.
- Lab test interference: Telavancin interferes with several standard coagulation (blood clotting) tests and urine protein dipstick tests — this does not mean your blood isn't clotting properly, but your care team needs to know when drawing lab samples.
- Hypersensitivity (allergic reactions): Serious and potentially life-threatening allergic reactions can occur, even on the first dose. Use with caution if you have ever had a reaction to vancomycin.
🔀What it interacts with▾
Telavancin has several important interactions — mostly involving lab tests and drugs that affect the kidneys or heart rhythm:
- Intravenous unfractionated heparin (blood thinner): Contraindicated — must NOT be used at the same time as Vibativ because telavancin causes falsely elevated results on the aPTT test used to monitor heparin, which could lead to dangerous dosing errors.
- QT-prolonging drugs (medications that affect heart rhythm): Used with caution — combining these with telavancin increases the risk of a serious heart rhythm problem.
- NSAIDs, ACE inhibitors, and loop diuretics: These drugs can affect kidney function and may increase the risk of kidney damage when taken with telavancin.
- Coagulation lab tests (PT, INR, aPTT, ACT): Telavancin artificially prolongs these test results for up to 18 hours after each dose. Blood should be drawn as close as possible to the next scheduled dose, or alternative tests should be used.
- Urine protein tests: Telavancin interferes with standard dipstick and dye-based protein tests. A microalbumin assay should be used instead to monitor urine protein during treatment.
This is not a complete list of interactions. Always talk with your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
📋Before taking it▾
- Pre-existing kidney disease: Patients with moderate to severe kidney impairment face higher risks — including higher mortality when treated for pneumonia. Discuss the benefit-risk balance carefully with your doctor.
- Heart rhythm conditions: Patients with congenital long QT syndrome, known QTc prolongation, uncompensated heart failure, or severe left ventricular hypertrophy were not included in Vibativ clinical trials and should avoid this drug.
- Allergy to vancomycin: Cross-sensitivity is possible. Tell your doctor about any prior reactions to vancomycin before receiving Vibativ.
- Pregnancy: Vibativ may cause serious fetal harm. Pregnancy status must be confirmed before starting treatment. If you are pregnant, your doctor must weigh the risks carefully and discuss them with you.
- Women who could become pregnant: Use effective birth control during treatment and for 2 days after the final dose.
- Children: Safety and effectiveness in patients under 18 have not been established.
- Patients on blood thinners or anticoagulants: Lab test interference requires careful coordination with your care team regarding timing of blood draws and choice of monitoring tests.
🚑If you take too much▾
If too much telavancin is given, the infusion should be stopped right away and supportive care provided, with close monitoring of kidney function. A small amount of telavancin can be removed by hemodialysis, but there is no established protocol for using dialysis to treat an overdose, so clinical management is guided by the care team on a case-by-case basis.
📡Pharmacodynamics — effects in the body▾
Telavancin's ability to kill bacteria correlates best with the total amount of drug in the bloodstream over time relative to the minimum amount needed to inhibit bacterial growth (a ratio called AUC/MIC). Telavancin can prolong the QTc interval — an electrical measurement of how the heart resets between beats — by an estimated 12–15 milliseconds at the standard clinical dose. This effect is greatest right at the end of the infusion and diminishes within an hour afterward. No actual cardiac events were linked to this effect in clinical trials, but caution is needed in patients already at risk for heart rhythm problems.
🔬Pharmacokinetics — how your body processes it▾
After an intravenous infusion, telavancin binds heavily to blood proteins (about 90%), primarily albumin. It has a half-life of roughly 8 hours, meaning the body clears half of the drug in that time. Steady-state blood levels are typically reached by the third daily dose. Telavancin is not broken down by the liver's CYP450 enzymes, so interactions with drugs that affect those enzymes are not expected. The drug reaches therapeutic levels in lung fluid and skin tissue, supporting its use for both pneumonia and skin infections. It is primarily cleared by the kidneys, so reduced kidney function significantly affects how the drug is handled — and dose adjustments are required in patients with impaired kidney function.
📦How to store it▾
Store original packages at refrigerated temperatures of 2°C to 8°C (35°F to 46°F). Avoid excessive heat.
📄 Written from Telavancin Injection’s FDA-approved label information, summarized in plain language with AI, and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Every point is grounded in that labeling — nothing is invented. How we use AI →
Supplements & herbs that interact with Telavancin Injection
27 supplements and herbal products have documented interactions with Telavancin Injection in the licensed clinical database we use. Most are manageable — but your pharmacist should know about everything you take, including vitamins and herbals.
- Moderate · 26
- Minor · 1
Educational information from a licensed clinical database (Natural Medicines) — see our data sources & update cadence. Not medical advice: an interaction being documented does not mean it will happen to you; do not start or stop medications or supplements without professional guidance.
Nutrient depletion considerations
Telavancin Injection has been associated with lower levels of 7 nutrients in the clinical literature. This does not mean a deficiency will occur — it means these may be worth discussing with your pharmacist or healthcare provider, especially with long-term use.
- Higher significance · 6
- Moderate · 1
Educational information from a licensed clinical database (Natural Medicines) — not medical advice. Do not start or stop medications or supplements without professional guidance.
🩺 Pharmacist Counseling Corner
Quick, plain-English answers to the questions patients ask most about Telavancin Injection — the kind of thing our pharmacy team would talk through with you at the counter.
Why am I getting this antibiotic through an IV instead of taking a pill? ▾
What side effects are most likely, and which ones do I need to report right away? ▾
I have kidney disease. Is it safe for me to take this medication? ▾
Could this antibiotic interfere with my other lab tests? ▾
I might be pregnant. Can I still receive Vibativ? ▾
Does this antibiotic affect my heart rhythm? Should I be worried? ▾
Is Telavancin Injection available over the counter? ▾
When was Telavancin Injection first available? ▾
Who makes Telavancin Injection? ▾
💬 Answers drafted from Telavancin Injection’s FDA-approved label information, summarized in plain language with AI, and reviewed by our pharmacy team before publication. Grounded in that labeling — nothing is made up. How we use AI →
🧰 Keep exploring
💊 How Telavancin Injection comes
Telavancin Injection is available in 1 form. Different forms and brands can have different approved uses, doses, schedules, and directions. Follow the instructions for your exact product, and do not switch forms without guidance from your prescriber or pharmacist.
Injection
How this form is used
- Vibativ is used intravenously to treat complicated skin and skin structure infections (cSSSI) in adults caused by susceptible gram-positive bacteria, including MRSA
- Vibativ is used intravenously to treat hospital-acquired bacterial pneumonia (HABP) and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia (VABP) in adults caused by susceptible Staphylococcus aureus, when alternative treatments are not suitable
- Vibativ is given as an IV infusion over at least 60 minutes — infusing it faster can cause serious infusion reactions including flushing and rash
- Vibativ is administered once every 24 hours; the total duration of treatment depends on the infection being treated
- Vibativ is prepared and given by a healthcare professional in a clinical setting
- Blood samples for certain clotting tests should be drawn as close as possible to the next scheduled Vibativ dose to avoid false lab results
📊 Telavancin Injection across the U.S. market
How Telavancin Injection appears in the FDA’s National Drug Code Directory — including its dosage forms, strengths, brand names, manufacturers, and FDA-listed product records. These are directory records, not sales or prescription volume.
Share of FDA-listed product records by manufacturer — FDA National Drug Code Directory. Record counts are not sales or prescription volume.
📈 How widely Telavancin Injection is used
A general measure of how commonly Telavancin Injection is prescribed, based on Medicaid — one of the largest public drug programs. The figure below is prescriptions filled in Q1–Q4 2025, summed across every form and brand of the drug.
Think of this as a proxy for how widely Telavancin Injection is used, drawn from freely available public data. Medicaid is just one program — these numbers don’t include Medicare, other government coverage, or commercial and cash-pay prescriptions, so real-world use is higher than what’s shown here.
How commonly is Telavancin Injection prescribed? Of the 1,596 medications we measure, Telavancin Injection ranks #1,388 by Medicaid prescriptions — more than 13% of them.
Utilization by Telavancin Injection product
Pick a product to see its own Medicaid numbers. Each chip is one clinical product — a specific strength & dosage form as defined by RxNorm — with brand-name and generic versions combined.
telavancin 750 MG Injection
Summed across the 2 of 5 listed NDC products with Medicaid activity — every brand and generic of this exact strength & form. RxNorm 1728082
Shares are of the Medicaid prescriptions shown here. Product grouping follows RxNorm (the National Library of Medicine’s drug terminology), so “one product” means one strength & dosage form regardless of manufacturer. Dollar figures are gross Medicaid reimbursement before mandatory rebates — rebates (often large, especially for brand-name drugs) are confidential, so actual net cost to Medicaid is lower than shown.
Source: Medicaid State Drug Utilization Data (CMS), aggregated by generic ingredient — summed across every NDC (all brands, strengths, salt forms and dosage forms) of Telavancin Injection, and across all states and both fee-for-service and managed-care claims. A general popularity signal; it excludes Medicare, commercial insurance and cash prescriptions, so it is not total U.S. use. Based on the 2 of 5 listed Telavancin Injection NDCs with Medicaid activity.
🔍 Compare Telavancin Injection products
A representative set of FDA-listed product records for Telavancin Injection — across manufacturers, strengths, and dosage forms, grouped by form with each product’s manufacturer and how the FDA approved it. The same medicine may be made and packaged by different companies, so a single drug can have many directory entries. (It’s also why a refill can look different — a new shape, color, or box — even though it contains the same medication.)
| Strength | Route | Manufacturer / Labeler | Category ⓘ | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 💊Injection | ||||
| 15 mg/mg | Intravenous | Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. | NDA | View NDC → |
| 15 mg/mL | Intravenous | Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. × 2 listings | NDA | View NDC → |
| 750 mg | — | Samsung BioLogics Co. LTD | DRUG FOR FURTHER PROCESSING | View NDC → |
Showing 4 of 4 products — FDA National Drug Code Directory. See every product, package size and price: browse all 4 Telavancin Injection NDCs →
📈 What people report — real-world data (FDA FAERS)
After a medicine reaches the market, patients, doctors and drugmakers can send the FDA reports of problems they think may be linked to it. Here’s what’s been reported for Telavancin Injection — a signal of what to watch for, not proof the drug caused it.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). These are voluntary reports — they don’t prove the drug caused the effect, and counts reflect how often something was reported, not how often it actually happens. Reports also often name the very problem the medicine is taken for — a common reason to file one is that the drug didn’t help — so for a pain reliever you may see “pain” high on the list; that points to why the report was filed, not to the drug causing the symptom. This counts every report that lists Telavancin Injection in any role, so the total runs higher than the FDA’s official dashboard, which counts only cases where the drug is the suspect. For the authoritative figures, see the FDA FAERS Public Dashboard. Always talk to your pharmacist or doctor.
🏛️ The road to your pharmacy
How Telavancin Injection went from FDA review to the pharmacy shelf — the key milestones in its regulatory journey.
Source: Drugs@FDA.
🚨 Recall history
A recall is when a specific batch of a medicine is pulled from the market — usually a manufacturing issue, not a problem with the drug itself. Class I is most serious, Class III least.
Source: openFDA drug enforcement (recall) reports.
RxNorm Concept Web — From Ingredient to Every Form and Strength
This page starts with one ingredient concept (IN). The branches below show its dose-form concepts (SCDF), then the available clinical drug and strength concepts (SCD). Combination products remain separate concepts with their own pages.
RxCUI 473837 1 dose form · 2 strengths
-
Dose form (SCDF) Injection RxCUI 1728081In current FDA listings
Look up RxCUI 473837 in the RxCUI Atlas →
RxNorm is the U.S. National Library of Medicine’s normalized drug vocabulary. Its concept hierarchy can include forms that are not currently marketed; the status on each branch compares that concept with current FDA listings. RxCUIs identify vocabulary concepts, not individual packages or manufacturers.
📦 Supply & shortage status
Whether Telavancin Injection is in short supply in the U.S. right now, plus any shortage history the FDA has on record. A shortage usually reflects a manufacturing or demand issue — not a safety problem with the drug.
Source: openFDA, from the FDA Drug Shortages database.
🏷️ Sold under these brand names
🏭 Manufacturers & labelers
RxNorm drug class
Telavancin Injection belongs to the Lipoglycopeptide Antibacterial class.
Classified by RxNorm RxClass — the U.S. National Library of Medicine's standardized drug-classification service (Established Pharmacologic Class from the FDA, the ATC drug family from the WHO, and mechanism of action). Reference only, not medical advice.
🔬 Where this comes from
Core label, product, RxNorm, safety, and utilization data on this page come from the sources identified below. AI-written, editorial, and licensed sections are labeled separately.
How we combine label and product data
HelloPharmacist combines public FDA and NLM records; we don’t author the underlying clinical facts. We identified 1 FDA-filed SPL label set within the page’s selected clinical scope after exact ingredient or ingredient-combination matching and applicable route/form matching. The representative label is the starting point for the displayed reference monograph; the 12 largest stored in-scope SPL records, which may include that representative, are compared section by section, and the longest available version of each section is retained. Forms, routes, brands, labelers, product-listed strengths, and product-record counts are aggregated separately from ingredient-matched FDA NDC Directory records; package records listed above are associated with the linked SPL; and the normalized concept hierarchy comes from NLM RxNorm.
Where a section is identified as AI-written, its plain-language text is generated from bounded label evidence. New draft drug pages remain in the admin review queue before first publication. Cumberland Pharmaceuticals Inc. is the representative DailyMed label linked for verification and dates; it is not the sole source used for the page.
This is general education, not medical advice — always consult your doctor or pharmacist about your medications and any medical condition. For the exact wording of the linked representative label, view that label on DailyMed; some displayed composite sections may come from other in-scope SPL labels. Learn how we use AI and our data sources & update cadence.