Antibiotics in the pipeline: a literature review (2017-2020)

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology
• Infectious Diseases
• Drug Development

Background:

• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses a significant global health threat, increasing mortality and healthcare burdens.
• Healthcare professionals play a crucial role in combating AMR through antibiotic stewardship and supporting new drug development.
• Despite challenges, new antimicrobial agents are continually being developed to address this growing crisis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current pipeline of new antibiotic agents.
• To assess the development status, mechanisms of action, and spectrum of activity of novel antibiotics.
• To identify gaps in the availability of antibiotics against high-priority resistant organisms.

Main Methods:

• A literature review was conducted using Medline and ClinicalTrials.gov.
• Information was gathered from pharmaceutical companies regarding antibiotics in Phase 3 or New Drug Application (NDA) stages.
• The review focused on approved and pipeline antibiotics.

Main Results:

• Several new antibiotics are in development, primarily for skin infections, community-acquired pneumonia, and healthcare-associated pneumonia.
• The number of new agents effective against high-priority organisms, such as multi-drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, is limited.
• Most identified antibiotics are based on existing molecular structures or pre-existing antimicrobial agents.

Conclusions:

• There is a critical shortage of effective antibiotics against WHO-priority pathogens.
• Novel antimicrobial agents specifically targeting multi-drug-resistant bacteria are urgently required.
• Continued research and development are essential to address the evolving threat of antimicrobial resistance.