COMPOSITION FOR THE TREATMENT OF INFECTIONS

Abstract: A composition for use in the treatment of bacterial and mycoplasmal infections in animals comprises tylosin or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof such as the tartrate and a β-lactam antibiotic such as amoxycillin.

Description: The present invention relates to a novel composition for the treatment of bacterial and/or mycoplasmal infections. Tylosin is known as an antibacterial/antimycoplasmal agent for use in the treatment of bacterial and mycoplasmal infections in animals. The applicants have found a composition having improved antibacterial and antimycoplasmal properties. According to the present invention there is provided a pharmaceutical composition comprising tylosin or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and a β-lactam antibiotic. Preferably the β-lactum antibiotic is amoxycillin. Advantageously the pharmaceutically acceptable salt of tylosin is tylosin tartrate. The composition is preferably presented so as to facilitate concurrent administration of the tylosin or salt thereof and the β-lactam antibiotic. For example, the tartrate salt of tylosin can be presented with a β-lactam antibiotic in a form suitable for administration in aqueous solution, for example in drinking water for animals. When the β-lactam antibiotic is amoxycillin, suitable formulations include those known for administration by injection such as those described in GB-A-1, 578,337 and GB-A-1,532,993. The tartrate salt of tylosin, unlike tylosin itself, is water-soluble. However the dissolution characteristics of the tartrate salt are rather poor. The applicants have found that by combining tylosin tartrate with an acidifying agent, a composition is produced which has substantially improved dissolution rates as compared to tylosin tartrate alone. The tylosin tartrate/acidifying agent composition is suitably in the form of a concentrated aqueous dispersion, eg solution, or a dry powder for solution in drinking water. When the composition is in the form of a dry powder a concentrated dispersion is suitably prepared from it before addition to the drinking water. The concentrated dispersion is suitably from 200 ml to 2 litres in volume. Suitably the composition is supplied in the form of a dry powder in a container, the volume of which is greater than the concentrated dispersion to be prepared. The concentrated dispersion can then be prepared by filling the container with water to the required level and shaking for, for example two minutes. Once complete dispersion, eg dissolution, has occurred, the contents of the container can be poured into a conventional animal drinking water tank. The amount of acidifying agent present should preferably be sufficient to establish a pH of from 2-6 in the concentrated dispersion. Suitable acidifying agents include acid salts such as potassium dihydrogen phosphate and acids such as citric acid. The acid salts of alkali metals are preferred. The anion may be inorganic such a phosphate or organic such as citrate. The acidifying agent may be anhydrous or it may be a hydrate. One suitable acidifying agent is disodium hydrogen citrate. In this instance the weight ratio of tylosin tartrate to disodium hydrogen citrate in the composition is suitably from 1:1 to 100:1 such as about 23:1. Another suitable acidifying agent is citric acid. In this instance the weight ratio of tylosin tartrate to citric acid in the composition is suitably from 1:1 to 125:1 such as about 30:1 or 7:3. The quantity of tylosin tartrate present is such that the concentration of tylosin in the final solution is that conventionally employed in therapy. For example for use in animal drinking water, a concentration of tylosin of approximately 100-1000 ppm (or 8-80 mg/kg body weight), more preferably approximately 200-1000 ppm, most preferably about 500 ppm can be employed. The above described tylosin tartrate composition forms a complete clear solution of tylosin at a rapid rate. No precipitation is observed even when hard water is employed in the formation of the solution. The ratio of tylosin tartrate to β-lactam antibiotic in the composition of the invention will depend upon the particular β-lactam antibiotic employed. Suitably the β-lactam antibiotic is present in the solution in the conventional dosages. When the antibiotic is amoxycillin the ratio of tylosin tartrate: β-lactam antibiotic is suitably from 10:1 to 0.1:1 more suitably from10:1 to 0.5:1. Many β-lactam antibiotics including amoxycillin require high pH to facilitate solubility in water. The applicants have found that by combining amoxycillin with a basic salt such as trisodium phosphate, a composition is produced which has advantageous dissolution characteristics. Suitable basic salts include sodium glycine carbonate and trisodium phosphate. The basic salts of alkali metals are preferred. The anion may by inorganic such as phosphate or carbonate or it may be organic. The amoxycillin/basic salt composition is suitably in the form of a concentrated aqueous solution or a dry powder for solution in drinking water. When the composition is in the form of a dry powder a concentrated solution is suitably prepared from it before addition to the drinking water. Typically the concentrated solution, which is suitably from 60 ml to 1 litre in volume, will be added to the drinking water concurrently with the concentrated dispersion of tylosin tartrate. Suitably the composition is supplied in the form of a dry powder in a container, the volume of which is greater than the concentrated solution to be prepared. The concentrated solution can then be prepared by filling the container with water to the required level and shaking for, for example, 2 minutes. Once dissolution has occurred, the contents of the container can be poured into a conventional animal drinking water tank. The amount of basic salt present should preferably be sufficient to establish a pH of at least about 9, preferably 9.5, in the concentrated solution. Suitably the composition consists of one part by weight of trisodium phosphate to about one part by weight of amoxycillin. A small amount of a sequestering agent may also be included in the amoxycillin composition, such as ethylenediamine tetraacetate or a salt thereof such as its disodium salt (disodium edetate). A particularly preferred composition comprises about 11 parts amoxycillin trihydrate, 10 parts trisodium phosphate, and 1 part disodium edetate. The concentration of amoxycillin in the final solution, such as animal drinking water, is suitably approximately 50-500 ppm (or 4-40 mg/kg bodyweight), most preferably about 250 ppm. It has been found that since soluble tylosin compositions require acid pH conditions, and many β-lactam antibiotics including amoxycillin require high pH to facilitate solubility, it is not possible to mix two such compositions together directly. Further according to the present invention there is provided a container having two compartments, one of said compartments containing tylosin tartrate and an acidifying agent and the second of said compartments containing a β-lactam antibiotic adapted for dissolution in water, such as the above-mentioned amoxycillin/trisodium phosphate composition. Still further according to the present invention there is provided animal drinking water containing tylosin tartrate and a β-lactam antibiotic. Advantageously, where the β-lactam antibiotic is amoxycillin, the pH of the animal drinking water is in the range of from 5.2 to 6.8, preferably about 6.3, in order to optimize the stability of the amoxycillin. In order to achieve this, the above-mentioned acidifying agent is selected so as to serve both to solubilize the tylosin tartrate and to ensure the correct pH in the final solution. The invention will now be particularly described by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a schematic side view of a container of the invention; and Figure 2 is a schematic side view of an alternative embodiment of a container of the invention. The container 1 shown in figure 1 comprises a first compartment 2 having a capacity of at least 700mls. Inside the compartment 2 is a mixture 3 comprising 120g of tylosin tartrate and 5.26g of disodium hydrogen citrate in dry powder form. The compartment 2 is provided with a screw cap 4. Also within the container 1 is a compartment 5 having a volume of at least 120ml. Within the compartment 5 is 32g of an amoxycillin formulation 6 in dry powder form. The amoxycillin formulation 6 comprises 51.00% by weight amoxycillin trihydrate, 4.54% by weight disodium edetate and 44.46% by weight trisodium phosphate. Compartment 5 is provided with a separate screw cap 7. The container 1 is suitably made of a plastics material such as high density polyethylene or polypropylene. It is intended that the container 1 should be supplied to a farmer. In use, the compartments 2, 5 are first partly filled with water and the contents briefly shaken until they are completely dispersed. The contents of both compartments 2 and 5 are then emptied into the drinking water tank of the animals, which will typically contain about 200 litres of drinking water. The pH of the dilute solution obtained is then 7.8. In the alternative embodiment shown in figure 2, the compartments 2,5 are replaced by a first and a second bottle 8 and 9 respectively. The bottles 8,9 are suitably of plastics material. They are held together for example by means of a strap 10 as shown or alternatively by fusion or welding. The volume of the bottles 8,9 can be varied depending upon the amount of composition contained therein. For example, the first bottle 8 can be approximately 1 litre in volume whereas the second bottle 9 is 125ml in capacity. In a further alternative embodiment of the invention, the compartment 5 or the bottle 9 has a capacity of at least 350ml and contains 98.1g of the amoxycillin formulation 6, whilst the compartment 2 or the bottle 8 has a capacity of at least 700ml and contains 120g tylosin tartrate and 50g citric acid, which replaces the disodium hydrogen citrate of the first embodiment. The contents of the container 1 are mixed with water as set out above and then emptied into about 200 litres of animal drinking water. The pH of the dilute solution obtained is 6.3.

Claims: 1. A pharmaceutical product containing tylosin or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and a β-lactam antibiotic, for concurrent use in the treatment of bacterial and/or mycoplasmal infections. 2. A product according to claim 1, comprising tylosin tartrate and a β-lactam antibiotic in water-soluble form. 3. A product according to claim 2, which is animal drinking water. 4. A product according to claim 3, wherein the β-lactam antibiotic is amoxycillin and the animal drinking water has a pH in the range 5.2 to 6.8. 5. A product according to claim 2, comprising a first container containing tylosin tartrate and an acidifying agent and a second container containing a β-lactam antibiotic in water-soluble form, the contents of each container being in dry powder form or aqueous dispersion. 6. A product according to claim 5, wherein the contents of one or each container are in dry powder form and the capacity of the container is sufficient to contain an aqueous dispersion of the whole of the contents. 7. A product according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the acidifying agent is disodium hydrogen citrate or citric acid. 8. A product according to claim 5, 6, or 7, wherein the second container contains amoxycillin and trisodium phosphate. 9. A product according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the β-lactam antibiotic is amoxycillin and the weight ratio of tylosin tartrate to amoxycillin is in the range 10:1 to 0.1:1. 10. Use of tylosin or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and a β-lactam antibiotic for the manufacture of a product according to any preceding claim. 11. A product comprising tylosin tartrate and an acidifying agent. 12. A product comprising amoxycillin and a basic salt. Claims for GR and ES 1. Use of tylosin or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof and a β-lactam antibiotic for the manufacture of a pharmaceutical product for use in the treatment of bacterial and/or mycoplasmal infections. 2. Use according to claim 1, wherein the product comprises tylosin tartrate and a β-lactam antibiotic in water-soluble form. 3. Use according to claim 2, wherein the product is animal drinking water. 4. Use according to claim 3, wherein the β-lactam antibiotic is amoxycillin and the animal drinking water has a pH in the range 5.2 to 6.8. 5. Use according to claim 2, wherein the product comprises a first container containing tylosin tartrate and an acidifying agent and a second container containing a β-lactam antibiotic in water-soluble form, the contents of each container being in dry powder form or aqueous dispersion. 6. Use according to claim 5, wherein the contents of one or each container are in dry powder form and the capacity of the container is sufficient to contain an aqueous dispersion of the whole of the contents. 7. Use according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the acidifying agent is disodium hydrogen citrate or citric acid. 8. Use according to claim 5, 6, or 7, wherein the second container contains amoxycillin and trisodium phosphate. 9. Use according to any one of claims 5 to 8, wherein the β-lactam antibiotic is amoxycillin and the weight ratio or tylosin tartrate to amoxycillin is in the range 10:1 to 0.1:1. 10. Use of tylosin tartrate and an acidifying agent for the manufacture of a pharmaceutical product for use in the treatment of bacterial and/or mycoplasmal infections. 11. Use of amoxycillin and a basic salt for the manufacture of a pharmaceutical product for use in the treatment of bacterial and/or mycoplasmal infections.

Inventors: POULTON, BARBARA ANN BEECHAM PHARMACEUTICALS, WYLIE, DAVID FERGUSON BEECHAM PHARMACEUTICALS
Applicants: BEECHAM GROUP PLC
Application year: 1986
Main classification: A61K31
IPC codes: A61K31