A Hospital Antibiotic's Closely Watched Launch

Cubist ultimately wants its new hospital antibiotic Cubicin to replace the widely used vancomycin. To do that, it's got to demonstrate that Cubicin, recently approved for a single indication, is safe and effective for a broad spectrum of hard-to-treat infections. As the first company in four years to launch a new hospital antibiotic, Cubist may be a model for the handful of other small companies seeking to capitalize on the opportunity. These start-ups may be better suited than Big Pharma to address what experts see as an important but limited unmet medical need.