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.

• 1899 – Pyocyanase

• 1911 – arsphenamine, also Salvarsan
• 1912 – neosalvarsan
• 1935 – prontosil (an oral precursor to sulfanilamide), the first sulfonamide
• 1936 – sulfanilamide
• 1937 – Promin
• 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
• 1945 – Bacitracin
• 1945 – Dapsone
• 1947 – sulfadiazine
• 1947 – Polymyxin B
• 1947 – Polymyxin E
• 1948 – chlortetracycline, the first tetracycline
• 1949 – chloramphenicol, the first amphenicol
• 1949 – neomycin
• 1950 – oxytetracycline
• 1950 – penicillin G procaine
• 1951 – phenoxymethylpenicillin
• 1952 – erythromycin, the first macrolide
• 1953 – nitrofurantoin
• 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 – methenamine
• 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 – delafloxacin
• 2017 – meropenem/vaborbactam
• 2018 – omadacycline
• 2018 – eravacycline
• 2018 – sarecycline
• 2018 – plazomicin
• 2018 - cefepime/sulbactam
• 2019 – imipenem/cilastatin/relebactam
• 2019 – lefamulin
• 2019 – cefiderocol
• 2023 – sulbactam/durlobactam
• 2024 – cefepime/enmetazobactam
• 2024 – ceftobiprole
• 2024 – pivmecillinam
• 2024 – sulopenem/probenecid
• 2025 – aztreonam/avibactam
• 2025 – gepotidacin, the first triazaacenaphthylene

See also

• Timeline of medicine and medical technology
• List of antibiotics, grouped by class

References