Background: Preliminary data suggest that the effectiveness of dalbavancin may be similar to current standard-of-care (SoC) treatment options for osteomyelitis with an advantageous dosing schedule.

Methods: This was a retrospective, observational cohort study of adult patients diagnosed with osteomyelitis. Patients were matched 1:2 to dalbavancin (administered as 2 doses separated by 1 week) or SoC treatment for osteomyelitis according to the Charlson Comorbidity Index, site of infection, and causative pathogen. The primary objective was to determine the incidence of treatment failure after a 1-year follow-up period. Secondary objectives included hospital length of stay (LOS), infection-related 1-year readmission rates, and treatment-related adverse events.

Results: A total of 132 patients received dalbavancin (n = 42) or SoC (n = 90). Baseline characteristics, including rates of surgical intervention, were similar between the 2 treatment groups. Treatment failure was similar between those who received dalbavancin and SoC (21.4% vs 23.3%; P = .81). Patients who received dalbavancin had a shorter hospital LOS (5.2 days vs 7.2 days; P = .01). There was no difference in the rates of infection-related readmission between the dalbavancin and the SoC group (31% vs 31.1%; P = .99). There were numerically fewer adverse events in the dalbavancin group compared with the SoC group (21.4% vs 36.7%; P = .08). Peripherally inserted central catheter line-related complications were reported in 17.8% of patients in the SoC group.

Conclusions: Dalbavancin administered as a 2-dose regimen is a safe and effective option for the treatment of osteomyelitis.

Cain AR, Bremmer DN, Carr DR, Buchanan C, Jacobs M, Walsh TL, Moffa MA, Shively NR, Trienski TL. Effectiveness of Dalbavancin Compared With Standard of Care for the Treatment of Osteomyelitis: A Real-world Analysis. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2021 Dec 18;9(2):ofab589. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofab589. PMID: 35071682; PMCID: PMC8773963.