RP-59500 [Synercid®; Rhône-Poulenc Rorer; phase III], is an injectable water-soluble streptogramin. It has been made available for the past 2 years under a compassionate-use programme for the treatment of vancomycinresistantEnterococcus faecium(VREF) infection, and for the treatment of infections caused by other Gram-positive pathogens in patients who cannot tolerate or have not responded to treatment with vancomycin. Details of 5 patients who received treatment with RP-59500 for endocarditis were presented at the 3rd International Sympo- sium on Modern Concepts in Endocarditis [Boston, US; July 1995].