Timeline of antibiotics

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, also Salvarsan
 * 1912 – Neosalvarsan
 * 1935 – Prontosil (an oral precursor to sulfanilamide), the first sulfonamide
 * 1936 – Sulfanilamide
 * 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 – oxacillin
 * 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