What are possible side effects?
Like all medicines, Cubicin can cause side effects, although not everybody gets them.

The frequency of possible side effects listed below is defined using the following convention:

Some side effects are very rare
A hypersensitivity reaction (serious allergic reaction including anaphylaxis) has been reported, in some cases during administration of Cubicin. This serious allergic reaction needs immediate medical attention. Tell your doctor or nurse straight away if you experience any of the following symptoms:

Tell your doctor straight away if you experience unexplained muscle pain, tenderness, or weakness. In very rare cases (reported in less than 1 in every 10,000 patients), muscle problems can be serious, including muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis), which can result in kidney damage.

Cubicin may also cause other side effects:

Some side effects are common

Some side effects are uncommon

Some side effects are rare

Frequency not known
Antibiotic-associated colitis, including pseudomembranous colitis (severe or persistent diarrhoea containing blood and/or mucus, associated with abdominal pain or fever).
A rare but potentially serious lung disorder called eosinophilic pneumonia has been reported in patients given Cubicin, mostly after more than 2 weeks of treatment. The symptoms can include difficulty breathing, new or worsening cough, or new or worsening fever. If you experience these symptoms, tell your doctor or nurse straight away.

If any of the side effects gets serious, or if you notice any side effects not listed in this leaflet, please tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

How should it be stored?
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For doctors
What is it?
Cubicin is a powder that is made up into a solution for injection or infusion (drip into a vein). It contains the active substance daptomycin.

What is it used for?
Cubicin is used to treat adults (aged 18 years or over) with the following bacterial infections:

Prescribers should consider official guidance on the use of antibiotics.

The medicine can only be obtained with a prescription.

How is it used?
Cubicin is given into a vein by a doctor or a nurse as an infusion lasting 30 minutes or as an injection lasting two minutes. For skin or soft tissue infections without bacteraemia, Cubicin is given at a dose of 4 mg per kilogram body weight once every 24 hours for seven to 14 days or until the infection has cleared up. For endocarditis and for skin or soft tissue infection with bacteraemia, the dose is 6 mg/kg every 24 hours. The duration of treatment depends on the risk of complications and official recommendations. Cubicin should not be given more than once a day.

Cubicin should only be used in patients who have problems with their kidneys if the benefit of treatment is greater than its potential risk, in which case it may need to be given less often. Depending on the type of infection being treated and whether a patient has more than one infection, other antibiotics may be given during treatment with Cubicin.

How does it work?
The active substance in Cubicin, daptomycin, is an antibiotic that belongs to the group ‘lipopeptides’. It can stop the growth of certain types of bacteria by attaching to the membrane around each bacterial cell and upsetting the essential functions that keep