Open AccessLessons from Seven Decades of Antituberculosis Drug Discovery
Author(s) -
Clifton E. Barry
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
current topics in medicinal chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.706
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1873-4294
pISSN - 1568-0266
DOI - 10.2174/156802611795429158
Subject(s) - tuberculosis , drug resistance , rifampicin , linezolid , isoniazid , medicine , drug , drug discovery , intensive care medicine , pharmacology , biology , bioinformatics , microbiology and biotechnology , bacteria , genetics , pathology , vancomycin , staphylococcus aureus
Despite massive global efforts tuberculosis rates continue to climb and drug-resistance rates are rising to alarming levels. Discovering new agents for treating this bacterial pathogen poses unique challenges, but these challenges have been faced throughout the entire modern history of research into anti-infectives. This review looks back at every decade since the 1940s and summarizes the most important drugs developed during each decade highlighting the lessons learned during these successful medicinal chemistry programs. Looking forward we must accelerate the integration of these past lessons with the impressive advances that have been made in the basic understanding of the biology of this disease.