Question: What was the first antibiotic?

Timeline of antibiotics


This is the timeline of 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.

1911 – Arsphenamine a.k.a. Salvarsan[1]
1912 – Neosalvarsan
1935 – Prontosil (an oral precursor to sulfanilimide), the first sulfonamide
1936 – Sulfanilamide
1938 – Sulfapyridine (M&B 693)
1939 – sulfacetamide
1940 – sulfamethizole
1942 – benzylpenicillin, the first penicillin
1942 – gramicidin S, the first peptide antibiotic
1942 – sulfadimidine
1943 – sulfamerazine
1944 – streptomycin, the first aminoglycoside[2]
1947 – sulfadiazine
1948 – chlortetracycline, the first tetracycline
1949 – chloramphenicol, the first amphenicol[2]
1949 – neomycin
1950 – oxytetracycline
1950 – penicillin G procaine
1952 – erythromycin, the first macrolide[2]
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 – cloxacillin
1962 – fusidic acid
1963 – fusafungine
1963 – lymecycline
1964 – gentamicin
1964 – cefalotin, the first cephalosporin
1966 – doxycycline
1967 – carbenicillin
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

From 1978

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

See also
Timeline of medicine and medical technology
List of antibiotics, grouped by class