Skip to main content

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.

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 2021 to include 2020 data.

Antibiotic Development
Antibiotic Development

Tracking the Pipeline of Antibiotics in Development

Quick View
Antibiotic Development

Tracking the Pipeline of Antibiotics in Development

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.

Gunnar Esiason
Gunnar Esiason
Article January 28, 2020

Cystic Fibrosis Patient Asks for Increased Efforts Around Antibiotic Resistance

Quick View
Gunnar Esiason
Article January 28, 2020

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)
Related ExpertS
Kathy Talkington
Kathy Talkington Director
Health Programs
David Hyun
David Hyun Project Director
Antibiotic Resistance Project
The front facade of the Supreme Court of the United States in Washington, DC.
ian-hutchinson-U8WfiRpsQ7Y-unsplash.jpg_master

Agenda for America

Resources for federal, state, and local decision-makers
Quick View
ian-hutchinson-U8WfiRpsQ7Y-unsplash.jpg_master

Data-driven policymaking is not just a tool for finding new solutions for emerging challenges, it makes government more effective and better able to serve the public interest.

RELATED RESOURCES

The Small-Molecule Antibiotics Pipeline: 2014–2018 Longitudinal Analysis of the Antibiotics Clinical Pipeline (PDF)
MEDIA CONTACT
Heather Cable Manager, Communications 202.552.2059
RELATED
Topics
Antibiotics
Tags
Superbugs
Projects
Antibiotic Resistance
Experts
Kathy Talkington David Hyun

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES

A chart indicating COVID-19 data is displayed as school board members listen to Miami-Dade County Public Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho announcing at a news conference that wearing face masks to protect against COVID-19 will be optional in public schools, Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021, in Miami. The new guidelines will go into effect Friday.

Article

December 2, 2021 Policymakers Must Bolster Health Data Collection and Reporting
Medical MRI Scan on digital screen

Article

November 24, 2021 Pew-Stewart Scholars Explore Drug Resistance in Lung Cancer
High quality aerial stock photos of cattle on a ranch in Nevada

Article

November 23, 2021 Inappropriate Antibiotic Can Undercut Fight Against Superbugs

MORE FROM PEW

Close-up of mangrove tree growing by a crystal blue river A New Coastal Management Plan In Puerto Rico
Image depicting a virtual screen with a judge in the top box, a man in a suit labeled Plaintiff in the bottom left box, and a black box on the bottom right with a telephone icon, labeled Defendant. Courts Embraced Technology and Adapted Their Operations
Wooden gavel on silver laptop computer Technology Revolution in State Civil Courts
Tuna Pacific Tuna Fishery Needs Better Management