Last-resort Antibiotics: Usage and Considerations

Last-resort antibiotics are a group of medications used as a final option to treat infections when other antibiotics have failed.
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Infectious Diseases | Treatment Options | Antibiotics | Infections | Medication | Resistant Bacteria
Prepared by Shruti Sahoo, reviewed by Dr. Eugene Smith

Last-resort Antibiotics FAQ


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Are antibiotics of last resort effective?

Furthermore, whilst in vitro studies indicate improved antibiotic activity when used in combination with other drugs, this is yet to translate into improved patient outcomes. As such, more work is needed to find ways to make these drugs of last resort as effective as possible and we propose five priority areas for future research efforts.

Why are antibiotics of last resort held back?

Drugs of last resort may be held back for a number of reasons, including side effects, cost factors, patient considerations, and more. In the antibiotics context, there's an additional pretext: We don't want highly resistant bacteria to learn how to resist these drugs too, so clinicians limit their use wherever possible.

What is a drug of last resort?

A drug of last resort ( DoLR ), also known as a heroic dose, is a pharmaceutical drug which is tried after all other drug options have failed to produce an adequate response in the patient.

Is daptomycin a last resort antibiotic?

Daptomycin is considered a last resort antibiotic and so is typically reserved for treating infections where second-line treatments such as vancomycin have failed.

How can we keep our last resort antibiotics useful?

Therefore, to keep our last resort antibiotic useful for times to come, its use must be rationalized to prolong the development and spread of resistance. Meanwhile, there have been several novel methods that can be considered to develop new drugs, as well as the use of combinatorial treatment approaches must be adopted.

Can an antibiotic of 'last resort' kill bacteria?

Scientists have revealed how an antibiotic of 'last resort' kills bacteria. Scientists have revealed how an antibiotic of 'last resort' kills bacteria. The findings, from Imperial College London and the University of Texas, may also reveal a potential way to make the antibiotic more powerful.

Could antibiotics be the 'last resort' for superbugs?

Scientists have revealed how an antibiotic of 'last resort' kills bacteria. The findings, from Imperial College London and the University of Texas, may also reveal a potential way to make the antibiotic more powerful. The antibiotic colistin has become a last resort treatment for infections caused by some of the world's nastiest superbugs.

Last-resort Antibiotics References

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