Netilmicin Explained

Netilmicin (1-N-ethylsisomicin) is a semisynthetic aminoglycoside antibiotic, and a derivative of sisomicin, produced by Micromonospora inyoensis. Aminoglycoside antibiotics have the ability to kill a wide variety of bacteria. Netilmicin is not absorbed from the gut and is therefore only given by injection or infusion. It is only used in the treatment of serious infections particularly those resistant to gentamicin.

It was patented in 1973 and approved for medical use in 1981.^[1] It was approved for medical use in the UK in December 2019, for the treatment of external infections of the eye.^[2] It is on the World Health Organization's List of Essential Medicines.^[3] __TOC__

Comparison with drugs

According to the British National Formulary (BNF), netilmicin has similar activity to gentamicin, but less ototoxicity in those needing treatment for longer than 10 days. Netilmicin is active against a number of gentamicin-resistant Gram-negative bacteria but is less active against Pseudomonas aeruginosa than gentamicin or tobramycin.

Further reading

• Wright J . Synthesis of 1-N-ethylsisomicin: a broad-spectrum semisynthetic aminoglycoside antibiotic. . Journal of the Chemical Society, Chemical Communications . 6 . 206–208 . 1976 . 10.1039/C39760000206.
• Hemsworth S, Nunn A, Selwood K, Osborne C, Jones A, Pizer B . Once-daily netilmicin for neutropenic pyrexia in paediatric oncology. . Acta Paediatr . 94 . 3 . 268–74 . 2005 . 16028643 . 10.1080/08035250510025923.
• Klingenberg C, Småbrekke L, Lier T, Flaegstad T . Validation of a simplified netilmicin dosage regimen in infants. . Scand J Infect Dis . 36 . 6–7 . 474–9 . 2004 . 15307571 . 10.1080/00365540410020613. 29092705 .
• Brooks J, Marlow N, Reeves B, Millar M . Use of once-daily netilmicin to treat infants with suspected sepsis in a neonatal intensive care unit. . Biol Neonate . 86 . 3 . 170–5 . 2004 . 15237240 . 10.1159/000079423. 2024-07-01 . 37410607 .

Notes and References

1. Book: Fischer J, Ganellin CR . Analogue-based Drug Discovery . 2006 . John Wiley & Sons . 9783527607495 . 508 . en.
2. Web site: Netilmicin . SPS - Specialist Pharmacy Service . 2 June 2020 . 21 August 2020.
3. Book: ((World Health Organization)) . World Health Organization model list of essential medicines: 22nd list (2021) . 2021 . 10665/345533 . World Health Organization . World Health Organization . Geneva . WHO/MHP/HPS/EML/2021.02 . free .