Impetigo is a common childhood skin infection. There are reports of increasing 
drug resistance to the currently used topical antibiotics including fusidic acid 
and mupirocin. Retapamulin is a newer topical agent of pleuromutilin class 
approved by the Food and Drug Administration for treatment of impetigo in 
children and has been recently made available in the Indian market. It has been 
demonstrated to have low potential for the development of antibacterial 
resistance and a high degree of potency against poly drug resistant 
Gram-positive bacteria found in skin infections including Staphylococcus aureus 
strains. The drug is safe owing to low systemic absorption and has only minimal 
side-effect of local irritation at the site of application.