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Antibiotic Development: Lessons from the Past and Future Opportunities

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Abstract

The challenge of antimicrobial resistance is broadly appreciated by the clinical and scientific communities. To assess progress in the development of medical countermeasures to combat bacterial infections, we deployed information gleaned from clinical trials conducted from 2000 to 2021. Whereas private sector interest in cancer grew dramatically over this period, activity to combat bacterial infections remained stagnant. The comparative ambivalence to antimicrobial resistance is reflected in the number of investigative drugs under clinical investigation, their stage of development and most troublingly, a declining number of organizations that are actively involved in the development of new products to treat bacterial infections. This drop reflects the exits of many companies that had previously developed antibacterial agents.

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Data Availability

All data used for this publication can be found at our website: cdek.liu.edu.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Laura and John Arnold Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Center for Research Innovation in Biotechnology, Long Island University, Brookville, NY, 11548, USA

    Michael S. Kinch, Zachary Kraft & Tyler Schwartz

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  1. Michael S. Kinch
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  2. Zachary Kraft
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Correspondence to Michael S. Kinch.

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Teaser: Antibiotics revolutionized modern medicine and society. Despite widespread concern, the disassembly of our ability to develop new antibiotics may be reaching a dangerous point.

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Kinch, M.S., Kraft, Z. & Schwartz, T. Antibiotic Development: Lessons from the Past and Future Opportunities. Pharm Res (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11095-024-03694-2

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