Quinolone, Everninomycin, Glycylcycline, Carbapenem, Lipopeptide and Cephem Antibacterials in Clinical Development

The development of antibacterials was a very successful endeavor in the pharmaceutical company repertoire through the late 1970s, when interest in investing in antibiotic research and development temporarily waned. More recently, there have been a number of failures in late stage development or post-launch of human antibiotics. The answer to the dilemma of less-than-desired success may be the introduction of novel classes of agents, as well as development of new agents in traditional classes. This review provides an overview of the various “miscellaneous” antibacterials in development, excluding glycopeptides, macrolides, ketolides, and oxazolidinones. Among the agents highlighted in this review are the clinical candidates of quinolones, everninomycins, carbapenems, lipopeptides, glycylcyclines, and cephems. In several cases, certain quinolone agents described in this review will have been approved for marketing before press time.