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Daily Data InsightsNearly two-thirds of antibiotics were introduced during the “golden age of antibiotics”

Nearly two-thirds of antibiotics were introduced during the “golden age of antibiotics”

A timeline titled "The Golden Age of Antibiotics" shows when each antibiotic drug class was first available for medical use, with example antibiotics labeled. Classes are color-coded by their source: actinomycetes, other bacteria, fungi, or synthetic. Milestones include the first antibiotics (arsphenamines in 1910), as well as the discovery of many actinomycetes-derived antibiotics, such as streptomycin, and sulfonamides, penicillins, and tetracyclines. Data: Hutchings, Truman, Wilkinson (2019). Created by Saloni Dattani for Our World in Data.

The “golden age of antibiotics” lasted from the early 1940s to the late 1960s. It was a period of rapid innovation that transformed medicine. As highlighted in this chart, nearly two-thirds of all antibiotic drug classes were introduced during this period.

Scientists explored natural sources — such as fungi and bacteria — and synthetic sources.

This led to breakthroughs in antibiotics derived from soil-dwelling bacteria, such as streptomycin, tetracyclines, and macrolides, and the mass production of penicillin, which Alexander Fleming discovered in 1928.

However, progress slowed after the 1970s as pharmaceutical companies shifted their focus to chronic diseases. Today, there is a renewed need for innovation to tackle antibiotic resistance.

Read my article on the golden age of antibiotics and how we can spark a new one →

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