Cumberland to support treating patients with hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia
Cumberland Pharmaceuticals, a specialty pharmaceutical company, today announced a national initiative to support the treatment of patients with hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated pneumonia associated with the COVID-19 outbreak.
Pneumonia caused by secondary bacterial infections – such as a Gram-positive bacterial infection – is common among patients with viral respiratory infections. Pneumonia was the leading cause of death in patients suffering from the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, which was prior to the use of antibiotics, according to a manuscript co-authored by Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Cumberland’s initiative includes the availability of special financial arrangements for hospitals and clinics to help ensure supply during this unprecedented healthcare crisis. In addition, Cumberland is sponsoring a national program with infectious disease experts to provide information on the management of complicated respiratory infections resulting from the novel coronavirus.
Cumberland manufactures the potent antibiotic Vibativ (telavancin) injection, designed to treat serious infections due to Staphylococcus aureus and other Gram-positive bacteria, including Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus.
“We have been closely monitoring the evolving COVID-19 situation and its impact on our country, including our economy, financial markets and health care system,” said A.J. Kazimi, Cumberland Pharmaceuticals CEO. “Based on recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, we are taking appropriate action to secure our supply chain, support hospitals and clinics, and assure the supply of our medications.”
The special financial arrangements being offered by Cumberland include extended payment terms for all direct account purchases of its Vibativ antibiotic. This program is designed to provide health care facilities the flexibility to weather the uncertain economic environment, while still providing the potent antibiotic treatment patients need. Cumberland has a stable and sufficient supply of Vibativ to support not only the current demand, but also the potential increased demand due to shortages of other antibiotics, such as vancomycin and daptomycin.
For more information regarding this special supply, contact Jim Herman, Cumberland’s senior vice president national accounts, at [email protected].
Cumberland’s national program with infectious disease experts – designed to help prepare health care professionals for increased hospitalizations due to COVID-19 – will cover the management of complicated respiratory infections resulting from COVID-19, including those caused by secondary bacterial infections. The risk of such infections grows as hospitals see more patients with respiratory symptoms due to COVID-19.
Research shows that hospital-acquired pneumonia and ventilator-associated pneumonia account for 22% of common hospital-acquired infections. Methicillin-sensitive and methicillin-resistant S. aureus are important disease-causing pathogens in these cases, the company said.
For more information on this national infectious disease program, contact Claire Wyant, director at Cumberland, at [email protected].