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 – sulfaguanidine 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