We recently reported the discovery of RWJ-54428 (MC-02,479, 1), a new cephalosporin that displays potent activity against MRSA. 3 This compound has several unique structural features, notably a 4-pyridinethiol directly linked to the cephalosporin core (ie, no methylene spacer between them) and a 2-aminoethylthiomethyl substituent. The pyridine ring, in particular, proves to be crucial for both activity and solubility. We 4 and others 5 observed ...
