Novel antimicrobial agents against multi-drug-resistant gram-positive bacteria: an overview.

Antimicrobial resistance threatens to compromise the treatment of bacterial infectious diseases. Strains resistant to most (if not all) antibiotics available have emerged. Gram-positive such representatives include strains of Methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) and highly-resistant to penicillin Streptococcus pneumoniae. Although the phenomenon of antimicrobial drug resistance is expanding, limited number of new antibiotics has been successfully developed in the last few decades. Several novel antimicrobial agents, however, are currently in diverse phases of development and undergoing clinical trials. This review will summarize the main candidates for novel antibacterial agents active against Gram-positive multi-resistant pathogens along with the discussion of some patents relevant to the topic.