amikacin vs daptomycin
Side-by-side comparison of amikacin and daptomycin Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
Amikin
Cubicin
Amikacin is an antibiotic medicine. It fights serious infections caused by certain types of bacteria.
Daptomycin is an antibiotic medicine. It fights certain bacterial infections in your body.
Amikacin treats serious infections caused by bacteria. This includes infections in the blood, lungs, bones, joints, brain, skin, and abdomen. It can also treat burns, post-surgery infections, and complicated urinary tract infections.
Daptomycin treats complicated skin infections in adults and children ages 1-17. It also treats Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections (bacteremia) in adults and children ages 1-17. Daptomycin is not used to treat pneumonia or left-sided heart infections.
Amikacin belongs to a class of drugs called aminoglycosides. It works by stopping the growth of bacteria. This helps your body fight off the infection.
Daptomycin works by attaching to the cell membrane of bacteria. This causes the bacterial cell membrane to become unstable. The instability stops the bacteria from growing, eventually killing it.
No common side effects listed.
- • Diarrhea
- • Headache
- • Dizziness
- • Rash
- • Abnormal liver tests
- Off Label Use 1,908
- Drug Ineffective 1,673
- Cough 1,620
- Dyspnoea 1,556
- Hospitalisation 1,360
- Drug Ineffective 703
- Off Label Use 652
- Acute Kidney Injury 527
- Pyrexia 459
- Eosinophilic Pneumonia 418
Amikacin can potentially cause hearing loss and kidney damage. Tell your doctor if you have kidney problems or are taking other medicines that can affect your hearing or kidneys. Your doctor should closely monitor you for hearing and kidney problems during treatment. This drug can also cause muscle weakness or breathing problems, especially if you are also taking anesthesia or certain muscle relaxants.
Daptomycin can cause serious side effects. It can cause allergic reactions, muscle problems (myopathy and rhabdomyolysis), and a type of pneumonia (eosinophilic pneumonia). It can also cause severe skin reactions, kidney problems, nerve damage, and diarrhea from C. difficile. Tell your doctor right away if you have any of these side effects.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. Amikacin may harm your unborn baby. It is not known if amikacin passes into breast milk.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding. There is limited information about daptomycin use during pregnancy. Daptomycin does pass into breast milk in small amounts, but the effects on the baby are unknown.
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How to Read This amikacin vs daptomycin Comparison
amikacin is classified in the Aminoglycoside Antibiotic drug class, while daptomycin sits within the Lipopeptide Antibiotic class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, amikacin has 8,117 submissions while daptomycin has 2,759. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume — not per-patient risk — so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. No direct interaction between these two drugs is listed in our FDA-derived dataset, though co-prescription still warrants pharmacist review. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between amikacin and daptomycin — always consult your physician or pharmacist first.
Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.