The quest to find novel antibiotics is currently very difficult in a time where antimicrobial resistance is on the rise. By causing 25.000 deaths in the European Union alone, it is the sixth major death cause in the EU. In case too little novel antibiotics are developed, many surgical procedures will become increasingly risky and the mortality rate of for example lung infections will soar.
In this review, we propose strategies to find hidden drug candidates, to maximize chances of discovering certain types of compounds and how to produce them. Additionally, an overview of all newly discovered antibiotics (and their tested spectrum) and propositions towards a more sustainable antimicrobial drug use are given.
