THE NEW ANTIMICROBIALS - A REVIEW AND ASSESSMENT FOR FORMULARY CONSIDERATION

An abundance of new antimicrobials have become available in recent yea rs to combat the growing threat of infectious diseases. Assessment of the new anti-infectives' place in therapy should involve analysis of t heir efficacy, safety, and cost relative to similar agents. In this ar ticle-part one of a two-part series-we summarize information critical to the evaluation of selected new antibacterials for formulary inclusi on. Specifically, we review the comparative spectrum of antimicrobial activity as well as significant differences in the toxicity and pharma cokinetic profiles between new and older agents. We also provide our a ssessment of the role of each of these new antibacterials in the manag ement of infectious diseases. Appropriate use of new broad-spectrum an tibacterials is crucial to attempts to diminish the impact of infectio ns and minimize the emergence of drug-resistant pathogens.