Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
3399205 | Current Opinion in Microbiology | 2011 | 5 Pages |
New drug development strategies are needed to combat antimicrobial resistance. The object of this perspective is to highlight one such strategy: treating infections with sets of drugs rather than individual drugs. We will highlight three categories of combination therapy: those that inhibit targets in different pathways; those that inhibit distinct nodes in the same pathway; and those that inhibit the very same target in different ways. We will then consider examples of naturally occurring combination therapies produced by micro-organisms, and conclude by discussing key opportunities and challenges for making more widespread use of drug combinations.
► New drug development strategies are needed to combat antimicrobial resistance. ► This perspective highlights one such strategy: combination therapies. ► Combination therapies differ in their number of components and pathways targeted. ► Micro-organisms produce ‘natural’ combination therapies.