Timeline of antibiotics

This is the timeline of 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 aka Salvarsan
 * 1912 - Neosalvarsan
 * 1935 - Prontosil (an oral precursor to sulfanilimide), the first sulfonamide
 * 1936 - Sulfanilimide
 * 1938 - Sulfapyridine (M&B 693)
 * 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 - doxacycline
 * 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

From 1978

 * 1979 - cefaclor
 * 1980 - cefmetazole
 * 1980 - cefotaxime
 * 1980 - cefsulodin
 * 1980 - piperacillin
 * 1981 - co-amoxiclav (amoxicillin/clavulanic acid)
 * 1981 - cefoperazone
 * 1981 - cefotiam
 * 1981 - cefsulodin
 * 1981 - latamoxef
 * 1981 - netilmicin
 * 1982 - apalcillin
 * 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 - cefozidime
 * 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
 * 1999 - quinupristin/dalfopristin
 * 2000 - linezolid, the first oxazolidinone
 * 2001 - telithromycin, the first ketolide
 * 2003 - daptomycin
 * 2005 - tigecycline
 * 2005 - doripenem
 * 2009 - telavancin, the first Lipoglycopeptide
 * 2010 - ceftaroline
 * 2011 - fidaxomicin