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Analysis Shows Continued Deficiencies in Antibiotic Development since 2014

Visualization tool lets users track changes in the pipeline from 2014

Data Visualization Updated:   March 9, 2021 Read time:
Projects: Antibiotic Resistance
Continued Deficiencies in Antibiotic Development since 2014

The Pew Charitable Trusts has tracked the pipeline of antibiotics in clinical development since 2014 and has aggregated updates into an interactive tool that illustrates trends in the pipeline—as drugs are either approved, discontinued from development, or remain stagnant. This longitudinal assessment underscores the long-standing concerns of scientists, doctors, public health officials, and other stakeholders regarding the dangerously low number of antibiotics in development to address current and future patient needs, particularly for treating the most urgent bacterial threats, such as Gram-negative pathogens, and those prioritized by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization.

Click the play button to see the evolution of the antibiotic pipeline since 2014, or click on an individual year to see the status of the pipeline at a particular point in time. (To view without animation, uncheck the “animate change” box.) To see additional information about each drug, hover over or tap any of the rectangles.

Antibiotics in Development Since 2014

Antibiotic

Expected to treat CDC urgent pathogen

Novel antibiotics

Expected to treat Gram-negative ESKAPE pathogens

PHASE 1P1
PHASE 2P2
PHASE 3P3
APPLICATIONNDA
APPROVED✓

Total approved antibiotics since 2014: 4

Total discontinued antibiotics since 2014: 6

Notes: Candidates included in this data visualization are consistent with Pew’s methodology for tracking antibiotics in clinical development. The analysis captures the status of antibiotics in the pipeline beginning in 2014, including those approved by the FDA and other regulatory agencies that year. More information about methodology and the full underlying data can be found in Pew’s latest pipeline analysis. This interactive tool is updated annually.

In December 2021, Pew’s antibiotic resistance project discontinued its work tracking antibiotics and nontraditional products in global clinical development. The World Health Organization has more information on the state of the global antibiotic pipeline.

Editor's note: This data visualization was originally published in July 2019. This title of the piece was updated for clarity on April 15, 2020. This piece was updated in March 9, 2021 to include 2020 data. 

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This collection page was updated in December 2017 with new content. Drug-resistant bacteria, or superbugs, present a serious and worsening threat to human health. A majority of doctors have encountered patients with infections that do not respond to available treatments, and when new drugs come to market bacteria can quickly develop resistance. According to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2 million Americans acquire serious infections caused by antibiotic-resistant bacteria each year, and at least 23,000 die as a result. A sustained and robust pipeline of new antibacterial drugs and novel therapies is critical to ensure that new interventions keep pace with these evolving pathogens.

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Americans combat more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections each year—a battle Gunnar Esiason, son of former NFL quarterback “Boomer” Esiason, knows all too well. Esiason lives with cystic fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic disease that affects the lungs and cells that produce mucus, puts him at an increased risk for bacterial infections, and makes him especially vulnerable to antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Downloads Longitudinal Analysis of the Antibiotics Clinical Pipeline (PDF)
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