HWN Suggests

Polymyxins and Their Potential Next Generation as Therapeutic Antibiotics

Future will tell whether polymyxins join the expanding group of antibiotics developed from primitive ancestors to modern drugs. Improved polymyxins now under development respond to previous challenges and some of them may turn out to be more successful than the old polymyxins, thus strengthening our armature before the antibiotic resistance crisis that we face now grows into a catastrophe.

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Articles of Interest

Polymyxins Revisited

The global emergence of multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacilli has spurred a renewed interest in polymyxins. Once discarded due to concerns regarding nephrotoxicity and neurotoxicity, polymyxins now hold an important role in the antibiotic armamentarium.

Rescuing the Last-Line Polymyxins: Achievements and Challenges

Antibiotic resistance is a major global health challenge and, worryingly, several key Gram negative pathogens can become resistant to most currently available antibiotics. Polymyxins have been revived as a last-line therapeutic option for the treatment of infections caused by multidrug-resistant Gram negative bacteria, in particular Acinetobacter baumannii, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Enterobacterales.

Shifting Gears: The Future of Polymyxin Antibiotics

The role of the polymyxin antibiotics has evolved over time based on the availability of alternative agents. After high rates of nephrotoxicity caused the drug class to fall out of favor, polymyxins were once against utilized in the 21st century to combat drug-resistant pathogens. However, the introduction of safer agents with activity against drug-resistant organisms has brought the future utility of polymyxins into question.

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StatPearls

Polymyxins comprise a class of antibiotics targeting gram-negative bacterial infections. Polymyxin B and Polymyxin E (colistin) are the two drugs within this antibiotic class used primarily in clinical practice. They are FDA approved for serious infections with multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria, especially those caused by Enterobacteriaceae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii.