title: An analysis of FDA-approved drugs for infectious disease: antibacterial agents.
abstract: Drugs targeting infectious diseases have greatly improved public health. A study to evaluate all US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved new molecular entities (NMEs) reveals that the number of new agents targeting infectious disease peaked during the 1990s and declined rapidly thereafter. Molecules targeting bacterial pathogens represent the most common component of anti-infectives followed by antivirals and antifungals. Focusing on antibacterial agents, an increase in new NMEs predominated from the 1960s through to the 1990s, dropping sharply thereafter. Obsolescence and resistance has eliminated one-third of these drugs. Consequently, the arsenal of antibiotics peaked in 2000 and is declining. Likewise, the number of organizations awarded at least one NME for a bacterial indication has declined to a level not seen in more than a half century.
authors.affiliation: Yale Center for Molecular Discovery, Yale University, 600 West Campus Drive, West Haven, CT 06516, USA. Electronic address: michael.kinch@wustl.edu.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Kinch
authors.affiliation: Yale Center for Molecular Discovery, Yale University, 600 West Campus Drive, West Haven, CT 06516, USA.
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Patridge
authors.affiliation: Yale Center for Molecular Discovery, Yale University, 600 West Campus Drive, West Haven, CT 06516, USA.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Plummer
authors.affiliation: Yale Center for Molecular Discovery, Yale University, 600 West Campus Drive, West Haven, CT 06516, USA.
authors.forename: Denton
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hoyer
mesh_terms: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017277:Drug Approval; D015195:Drug Design; D024881:Drug Resistance, Bacterial; D006801:Humans; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D000890:Anti-Infective Agents