Antibiotics: past, present and future
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review and expert opinion summarizing the history, technologies, and clinical pipeline without a systematic review protocol.
OpenAlex W2989135569 · doi:10.1016/j.mib.2019.10.008
What was done
The authors present a narrative overview of the history of antibiotic discovery from 1910 to the present, summarizing major antibiotic classes, emerging discovery technologies such as genome mining and editing, and the status of current clinical development pipelines.
What was found
Antibiotics are reported to have extended the average human lifespan by 23 years since 1910. There are currently 45 antibiotic candidates undergoing clinical trials, including several new classes with novel modes of action in phase 3 clinical trials.
Why it matters
This review synthesizes the current status of antibiotic development, emphasizing that while genomic tools can revitalize discovery, structural changes to financial models remain necessary to successfully bring candidates to clinical approval.
Limits
As a narrative review, it lacks a systematic search methodology, formal inclusion/exclusion criteria, and quantitative meta-analytic data. Details regarding specific drug candidates, trial designs, clinical efficacy, and safety outcomes are not provided in the abstract.
Cited by
- supports Penicillin was discovered in 1928.