Lefamulin (Xenleta)

Lefamulin (Xenleta) for Community-Acquired Bacterial Pneumonia

Editor's Note: Lefamulin—A New Antibiotic for Community-Acquired Pneumonia; Preeti N. Malani, MD, MSJ

Arobust antibiotic pipeline is essential for patient care and public health. Yet compared with other classes of drugs, the development of antibiotics presents unique scientific, regulatory, and economic challenges. Most notably, antibiotics provide less financial reward for pharmaceutical companies because these medications are used for a short duration and newer agents are often restricted for use only in the setting of antimicrobial resistance. In fact, most large pharmaceutical companies have reduced or stopped antibiotic research altogether, leaving the critical task of discovering new antibiotics to small companies with limited budgets and research capacity. For these and other reasons, the development and approval of a new antibiotic is a rare occurrence and a reason to celebrate./.../