This report, the first in our series on antibiotics, provides an overview of the science underlying the antibiotic market. We provide an overview of the key indications, pathogens, most widely used drugs and the growing problem of antibiotic resistance. Parts 2 and 3 of this series will build on this foundation with an in-depth analysis of the antibiotic pipeline. The present report focuses on providing a basic overview of the following:

• Key pathogens: Gram-(+), Gram-(–), and atypical pathogens, and how they differ.
• Classes of common antibiotics: their uses, their limitations, and historical trends.
• Epidemiology of community- and healthcare-acquired infections, including incidence estimates and a breakdown of organisms involved in these infections.
• Trends in antibiotic resistance, with a description of several pathogens that are highly resistant to known classes of antibiotics.

The second and third reports in this series will focus on drugs in development for community-acquired and hospital-acquired infections. These reports will provide an analysis of recent clinical trial data for anti-bacterial agents and a summary of potential sub-markets for these drug candidates. Furthermore, these reports will provide analysis on the likelihood of FDA approval for these agents and characteristics of companies involved with anti-bacterial development.

For the full report, please download the PDF version at the top of this page.

For our disclosures, please read the BioMedTracker Research Standards. This report was written in collaboration with Tucker BioPharma Consultinng.