Daptomycin

How it works

A soil-bacteria lipopeptide that punctures staph membranes, MRSA included, in skin, blood and heart. The lungs' lining disarms it.

What it's made of

13 amino acids, 10 of them closed in a ring, with a fatty tail. It is made by a soil bacterium, Streptomyces roseosporus, and is used unmodified.

What it's for

Prescribed for

Complicated skin infections and Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia, including endocarditis on the right side of the heart. Never for pneumonia.