[Pharmacologic innovations, the fluoroquinolone model]

Like all the disciplines involved in infectious diseases and antibiotic therapy, pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) of antibiotics have evolved significantly. They include new investigation procedures like in vitro models and new animal models. There is a current trend towards better methods, newer definitions and improved quality of research in this particular field.

The current evolution of pharmacology of antibiotics is mainly characterized by the development of pharmacodynamics (PD) which offers the advantage of including microbiology data. New PD parameters have been defined. It is recommended to working groups involved in PK/PD research to compare their results and tend to a consensus on the methods to be used.

Benefiting from such progress, preclinical phases of PK/PD studies of new molecules as well as revision of older antibiotics permit a rigorous and clinical approach to the use of antibiotics.