Recent Developments in the Field of β‐Lactam Antibiotics

Abstract The era of β‐lactam antibiotics, which represent the most important class of drugs against infectious diseases caused by bacteria, began more than fifty years ago with the discovery of penicillin G. Further improvements by isolation and structure elucidation of new natural compounds, and systematic chemical modification of these, is a striking example of to what extent chemistry can contribute to the progress of drug therapy. The complex relationship between structure and activity requires, even today, a largely empirical approach. The minimum structural unit for antibiotic activity had to be revised several times over decades. Both the activated β‐lactam ring with an acidic group and the nature and spatial arrangement of the other substituents and rings decisively affect the potency, antibacterial spectrum, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity. Totally synthetic mono‐ and bicyclic compounds from the series of monobactams, penems, carbapenems, 1‐oxacephems, and 1‐carbacephems are increasingly joining the classic groups obtained by semisynthesis from 6‐amino‐penicillanic acid and 7‐aminophalosporanic acid.