Fighting infection is a modern art at Cubist Pharmaceuticals. The company develops antimicrobial agents to treat drug-resistant bacterial strains, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), typically found in hospitals and other health care institutions. Its flagship product Cubicin (daptomycin for injection) is an FDA-approved intravenous antibiotic to fight MRSA infections of the skin and blood. Cubist also markets Entereg, a drug to speed patient recovery following bowel resection surgery, in the US. Cubist's pipeline includes candidates in various stages of clinical and pre-clinical development. In early 2015  Merck  bought Cubist in a $9.5 billion deal.