Durata says antibiotic worked in late-stage trial

Durata Therapeutics says its antibiotic dalbavancin met key goals in second late-stage study

CHICAGO (AP) -- Durata Therapeutics Inc. said Monday its antibiotic dalbavancin met its goal in another late-stage clinical trial.

The company said dalbavancin worked as well as vancomycin, an older antibiotic, as a treatment for skin infections like the "superbug" MRSA. The study compared the effects of the drugs after two to three days of treatment and after two weeks of therapy. In both cases, the drugs worked about equally well.

Patients were treated with either two IV doses of dalbavancin one week apart, or vancomycin given twice a day for two weeks. The most common side effects in patients treated with dalbavancin were nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, rash, and headache.

Durata reported successful clinical trial results from another late-stage study in December. The company plans to file for U.S. marketing approval of dalbavancin in the middle of the year and file in Europe at the end of 2013.

Shares of Durata Therapeutics rose 6 cents to $7.60 in morning trading. Earlier the shares rose as much as 6.1 percent.