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

doi:10.1007/s15010-021-01709-3

Review

. 2022 Jun;50(3):553-564.

doi: 10.1007/s15010-021-01709-3. Epub 2021 Oct 4.

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

Jaffar A Al-Tawfiq^{1

2

3

4}, Hisham Momattin⁵, Anfal Y Al-Ali⁶, Khalid Eljaaly^{7

8}, Raghavendra Tirupathi^{9

10

11}, Mohamed Bilal Haradwala¹², Swetha Areti¹³, Saad Alhumaid¹⁴, Ali A Rabaan^{15

16}, Abbas Al Mutair^{17

18

19}, Patricia Schlagenhauf²⁰

Affiliations

¹ Specialty Internal Medicine and Quality Patient Safety Department, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. jaffar.tawfiq@jhah.com.
² Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA. jaffar.tawfiq@jhah.com.
³ Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. jaffar.tawfiq@jhah.com.
⁴ Dhahran Health Center, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, P.O. Box 76; Room A-428-2, Building 61, Dhahran, 31311, Saudi Arabia. jaffar.tawfiq@jhah.com.
⁵ Department of Pharmacy Services, Mouwasat Hospitals, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Pharmacy Services, Dhahran Eye Specialist Hospital, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
⁹ Department of Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.
¹⁰ Keystone Infectious Diseases/HIV, Keystone Health, Chambersburg, PA, USA.
¹¹ Department of Medicine, Wellspan Chambersburg and Waynesboro (Pa.) Hospitals, Chambersburg, PA, USA.
¹² Department of Neurology, University of Missouri Hospital, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
¹³ Department of Hospital Medicine, Wellspan Chambersburg and Waynesboro (Pa.) Hospitals, Chambersburg, PA, USA.
¹⁴ Administration of Pharmaceutical Care, Alahsa Health Cluster, Ministry of Health, Alahsa, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁵ Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁶ Department of Public Health and Nutrition, The University of Haripur, Haripur, 22610, Pakistan.
¹⁷ Research Center, Almoosa Specialist Hospital, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁸ School of Nursing, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
¹⁹ College of Nursing, Princess Norah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, 12214, Saudi Arabia.
²⁰ WHO Collaborating Centre for Travellers' Health, Institute for Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention, University of Zürich Centre for Travel Medicine, Zurich, Switzerland.

PMID: 34606056
PMCID: PMC8488069
DOI: 10.1007/s15010-021-01709-3

Review

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

Jaffar A Al-Tawfiq et al. Infection. 2022 Jun.

. 2022 Jun;50(3):553-564.

doi: 10.1007/s15010-021-01709-3. Epub 2021 Oct 4.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Specialty Internal Medicine and Quality Patient Safety Department, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. jaffar.tawfiq@jhah.com.
² Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA. jaffar.tawfiq@jhah.com.
³ Infectious Diseases Division, Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA. jaffar.tawfiq@jhah.com.
⁴ Dhahran Health Center, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, P.O. Box 76; Room A-428-2, Building 61, Dhahran, 31311, Saudi Arabia. jaffar.tawfiq@jhah.com.
⁵ Department of Pharmacy Services, Mouwasat Hospitals, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Pharmacy Services, Dhahran Eye Specialist Hospital, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
⁸ College of Pharmacy, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA.
⁹ Department of Medicine, Penn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.
¹⁰ Keystone Infectious Diseases/HIV, Keystone Health, Chambersburg, PA, USA.
¹¹ Department of Medicine, Wellspan Chambersburg and Waynesboro (Pa.) Hospitals, Chambersburg, PA, USA.
¹² Department of Neurology, University of Missouri Hospital, Columbia, Missouri, USA.
¹³ Department of Hospital Medicine, Wellspan Chambersburg and Waynesboro (Pa.) Hospitals, Chambersburg, PA, USA.
¹⁴ Administration of Pharmaceutical Care, Alahsa Health Cluster, Ministry of Health, Alahsa, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁵ Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁶ Department of Public Health and Nutrition, The University of Haripur, Haripur, 22610, Pakistan.
¹⁷ Research Center, Almoosa Specialist Hospital, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁸ School of Nursing, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, Australia.
¹⁹ College of Nursing, Princess Norah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, 12214, Saudi Arabia.
²⁰ WHO Collaborating Centre for Travellers' Health, Institute for Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Prevention, University of Zürich Centre for Travel Medicine, Zurich, Switzerland.

PMID: 34606056
PMCID: PMC8488069
DOI: 10.1007/s15010-021-01709-3

Erratum in

Correction to: Antibiotics in the pipeline: a literature review (2017-2020).
Al-Tawfiq JA, Momattin H, Al-Ali AY, Eljaaly K, Tirupathi R, Haradwala MB, Areti S, Alhumaid S, Rabaan AA, Al Mutair A, Schlagenhauf P. Al-Tawfiq JA, et al. Infection. 2022 Jun;50(3):565-567. doi: 10.1007/s15010-022-01776-0. Infection. 2022. PMID: 35274282 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Abstract

Introduction: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is an emerging global threat. It increases mortality and morbidity and strains healthcare systems. Health care professionals can counter the rising AMR by promoting antibiotic stewardship and facilitating new drug development. Even with the economic and scientific challenges, it is reassuring that new agents continue to be developed.

Methods: This review addresses new antibiotics in the pipeline. We conducted a review of the literature including Medline, Clinicaltrials.org, and relevant pharmaceutical companies for approved and in pipeline antibiotics in phase 3 or new drug application (NDA).

Results: We found a number of new antibiotics and reviewed their current development status, mode of action, spectra of activity, and indications for which they have been approved. The included studies from phase 3 clinical trials were mainly utilized for the treatment of acute bacterial skin and skin structure infections, community-acquired bacterial pneumonia, and pneumonia acquired in the healthcare settings. The number of these agents is limited against high priority organisms. The identified antibiotics were based mainly on previously known molecules or pre-existing antimicrobial agents.

Conclusion: There are a limited number of antibiotics against high priority organisms such as multi-drug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. New antimicrobial agents directed against the top priority organisms as classified by the World Health Organization are urgently needed.

Keywords: Antibiotics; New antibiotics; Novel antibiotics; Pipeline.

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Conflict of interest statement

All the authors have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

**Fig. 1**
A flow diagram of the search strategy according to the preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines

See this image and copyright information in PMC

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References

1. Aslam B, Wang W, Arshad MI, Khurshid M, Muzammil S, Rasool MH, et al. Antibiotic resistance: a rundown of a global crisis. Infect Drug Resist. 2018;11:1645. doi: 10.2147/IDR.S173867. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
1. Al-Tawfiq JA, Stephens G, Memish ZA. Inappropriate antimicrobial use and potential solutions: a Middle Eastern perspective. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2010;8:765–774. doi: 10.1586/eri.10.56. - DOI - PubMed
1. Towse A, Hoyle CK, Goodall J, Hirsch M, Mestre-Ferrandiz J, Rex JH. Time for a change in how new antibiotics are reimbursed: development of an insurance framework for funding new antibiotics based on a policy of risk mitigation. Health Policy. 2017;121:1025–1030. doi: 10.1016/J.HEALTHPOL.2017.07.011. - DOI - PubMed
1. FDA. Novel drug approvals for 2017 n.d. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/new-drugs-fda-cders-new-molecular-entities-and.... Accessed 20 Nov 2020.
1. Medicines Agency E. European Medicines Agency decision P/0148/2018 of 18 May 2018 on the review of a granted waiver for delafloxacin (EMEA-001080-PIP01–10). n.d.

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[1] Aslam B, Wang W, Arshad MI, Khurshid M, Muzammil S, Rasool MH, et al. Antibiotic resistance: a rundown of a global crisis. Infect Drug Resist. 2018;11:1645. doi: 10.2147/IDR.S173867. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[2] Aslam B, Wang W, Arshad MI, Khurshid M, Muzammil S, Rasool MH, et al. Antibiotic resistance: a rundown of a global crisis. Infect Drug Resist. 2018;11:1645. doi: 10.2147/IDR.S173867. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

[3] Al-Tawfiq JA, Stephens G, Memish ZA. Inappropriate antimicrobial use and potential solutions: a Middle Eastern perspective. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2010;8:765–774. doi: 10.1586/eri.10.56. - DOI - PubMed

[4] Al-Tawfiq JA, Stephens G, Memish ZA. Inappropriate antimicrobial use and potential solutions: a Middle Eastern perspective. Expert Rev Anti Infect Ther. 2010;8:765–774. doi: 10.1586/eri.10.56. - DOI - PubMed

[5] Towse A, Hoyle CK, Goodall J, Hirsch M, Mestre-Ferrandiz J, Rex JH. Time for a change in how new antibiotics are reimbursed: development of an insurance framework for funding new antibiotics based on a policy of risk mitigation. Health Policy. 2017;121:1025–1030. doi: 10.1016/J.HEALTHPOL.2017.07.011. - DOI - PubMed

[6] Towse A, Hoyle CK, Goodall J, Hirsch M, Mestre-Ferrandiz J, Rex JH. Time for a change in how new antibiotics are reimbursed: development of an insurance framework for funding new antibiotics based on a policy of risk mitigation. Health Policy. 2017;121:1025–1030. doi: 10.1016/J.HEALTHPOL.2017.07.011. - DOI - PubMed

[7] FDA. Novel drug approvals for 2017 n.d. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/new-drugs-fda-cders-new-molecular-entities-and.... Accessed 20 Nov 2020.

[8] FDA. Novel drug approvals for 2017 n.d. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/new-drugs-fda-cders-new-molecular-entities-and.... Accessed 20 Nov 2020.

[9] Medicines Agency E. European Medicines Agency decision P/0148/2018 of 18 May 2018 on the review of a granted waiver for delafloxacin (EMEA-001080-PIP01–10). n.d.

[10] Medicines Agency E. European Medicines Agency decision P/0148/2018 of 18 May 2018 on the review of a granted waiver for delafloxacin (EMEA-001080-PIP01–10). n.d.

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

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

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