Timeline of Antibiotics

Timeline of Antibiotics

Antibiotics are substances produced by microorganisms, which selectively suppress the growth of or kill other microorganisms at very low concentrations. This definition excludes other natural substances which also inhibit microorganisms but are produced by higher forms (e.g. antibodies) or even those produced by microbes but are needed in high concentrations.

Antimicrobials are probably one of the most successful forms of chemotherapy in the history of medicine. It is not necessary to reiterate here how many lives they have saved and how significantly they have contributed to the control of infectious diseases that were the leading causes of human morbidity and mortality for most of human existence.

This is the timeline of modern antimicrobial (anti-infective) therapy. The years show when a given drug was released onto the pharmaceutical market. This is not a timeline of the development of the antibiotics themselves.

• 1911 – Arsphenamine 
• 1912 – Neosalvarsan
• 1935 – Prontosil (an oral precursor to sulfanilamide), the first sulfonamide
• 1936 – Sulfanilamide
• 1938 – Sulfapyridine
• 1939 – sulfacetamide
• 1940 – sulfamethizole
• 1942 – benzylpenicillin, the first penicillin
• 1942 – gramicidin S, the first peptide antibiotic
• 1942 – sulfadimidine
• 1943 – sulfamerazine
• 1944 – streptomycin, the first aminoglycoside
• 1947 – sulfadiazine
• 1948 – chlortetracycline, the first tetracycline
• 1949 – chloramphenicol, the first amphenicol
• 1949 – neomycin
• 1950 – oxytetracycline
• 1950 – penicillin G procaine
• 1952 – erythromycin, the first macrolide
• 1954 – benzathine penicillin
• 1955 – spiramycin
• 1955 – tetracycline
• 1955 – thiamphenicol
• 1955 – vancomycin, the first glycopeptide
• 1956 – phenoxymethylpenicillin
• 1958 – colistin, the first polymyxin
• 1958 – demeclocycline
• 1959 – virginiamycin
• 1960 – methicillin
• 1960 – metronidazole, the first nitroimidazole
• 1961 – ampicillin
• 1961 – spectinomycin
• 1961 – sulfamethoxazole
• 1961 – trimethoprim, the first dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor
• 1962 – cloxacillin
• 1962 – fusidic acid
• 1963 – fusafungine
• 1963 – lymecycline
• 1964 – gentamicin
• 1964 – cefalotin, the first cephalosporin
• 1966 – doxycycline
• 1967 – carbenicillin
• 1967 – rifampicin
• 1967 – nalidixic acid, the first quinolone
• 1968 – clindamycin, the second lincosamide
• 1970 – cefalexin
• 1971 – cefazolin
• 1971 – pivampicillin
• 1971 – tinidazole
• 1972 – amoxicillin
• 1972 – cefradine
• 1972 – minocycline
• 1972 – pristinamycin
• 1973 – fosfomycin
• 1974 – talampicillin
• 1975 – tobramycin
• 1975 – bacampicillin
• 1975 – ticarcillin
• 1976 – amikacin
• 1977 – azlocillin
• 1977 – cefadroxil
• 1977 – cefamandole
• 1977 – cefoxitin
• 1977 – cefuroxime
• 1977 – mezlocillin
• 1977 – pivmecillinam
• 1979 – cefaclor
• 1980 – cefmetazole
• 1980 – cefotaxime
• 1980 – piperacillin
• 1981 – co-amoxiclav (amoxicillin/clavulanic acid)
• 1981 – cefoperazone
• 1981 – cefotiam
• 1981 – cefsulodin
• 1981 – latamoxef
• 1981 – netilmicin
• 1982 – ceftriaxone
• 1982 – micronomicin
• 1983 – cefmenoxime
• 1983 – ceftazidime
• 1983 – ceftizoxime
• 1983 – norfloxacin
• 1984 – cefonicid
• 1984 – cefotetan
• 1984 – temocillin
• 1985 – cefpiramide
• 1985 – imipenem/cilastatin, the first carbapenem
• 1985 – ofloxacin
• 1986 – mupirocin
• 1986 – aztreonam
• 1986 – cefoperazone/sulbactam
• 1986 – co-ticarclav (ticarcillin/clavulanic acid)
• 1987 – ampicillin/sulbactam
• 1987 – cefixime
• 1987 – roxithromycin
• 1987 – sultamicillin
• 1987 – ciprofloxacin, the first 2nd-gen fluoroquinolone
• 1987 – rifaximin, the first ansamycin
• 1988 – azithromycin
• 1988 – flomoxef
• 1988 – isepamycin
• 1988 – midecamycin
• 1988 – rifapentine
• 1988 – teicoplanin
• 1989 – cefpodoxime
• 1989 – enrofloxacin
• 1989 – lomefloxacin
• 1989 – moxifloxacin
• 1990 – arbekacin
• 1990 – cefodizime
• 1990 – clarithromycin
• 1991 – cefdinir
• 1992 – cefetamet
• 1992 – cefpirome
• 1992 – cefprozil
• 1992 – ceftibuten
• 1992 – fleroxacin
• 1992 – loracarbef
• 1992 – piperacillin/tazobactam
• 1992 – rufloxacin
• 1993 – brodimoprim
• 1993 – dirithromycin
• 1993 – levofloxacin
• 1993 – nadifloxacin
• 1993 – panipenem/betamipron
• 1993 – sparfloxacin
• 1994 – cefepime
• 1996 – meropenem
• 1999 – quinupristin/dalfopristin
• 2000 – linezolid, the first oxazolidinone
• 2001 – telithromycin, the first ketolide
• 2003 – daptomycin
• 2005 – tigecycline, the first glycylcycline
• 2005 – doripenem
• 2009 – telavancin, the first Lipoglycopeptide
• 2010 – ceftaroline
• 2011 – fidaxomicin
• 2012 – bedaquiline
• 2013 – telavancin
• 2014 – tedizolid
• 2014 – dalbavancin
• 2014 – ceftolozane/tazobactam
• 2015 – ceftazidime/avibactam
• 2017 – meropenem/vaborbactam
• 2019 – imipenem/cilastatin/relebactam
• 2019 – cefiderocol

Reference: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_antibiotics