Doses and methods for administering telavancin or a pharmaceutically-acceptable salt thereof to a human patient having an infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus, such as bacteremia, pneumonia, endocarditis, osteomyelitis, a prosthetic joint infection or a complicated skin and skin structure infection, are disclosed. Also disclosed are methods for treating an infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus in a human patient using telavancin or a pharmaceutically-acceptable salt thereof. The dose of telavancin administered to the patient is determined, in part, by the weight and creatinine clearance of the patient.