Drug of last resort
Encyclopedia
Drugs of last resort are drugs only used when all other options are exhausted. Many of the best known are antibiotic
s, antiviral
s, or chemotherapy
agents. In those cases, they have the most potent antibiotic
, antiviral
, or anticancer
effects, and/or are drugs for which no (or very few) resistant strains are known. They are usually withheld from administration to prevent the development of resistance
or due to unpleasant side effects
.
Despite the fact that most of the notable drugs of last resort are antibiotics or antivirals, other drugs are sometimes considered drugs of last resort, such as cisapride
.
Antibiotic
An antibacterial is a compound or substance that kills or slows down the growth of bacteria.The term is often used synonymously with the term antibiotic; today, however, with increased knowledge of the causative agents of various infectious diseases, antibiotic has come to denote a broader range of...
s, antiviral
Antiviral drug
Antiviral drugs are a class of medication used specifically for treating viral infections. Like antibiotics for bacteria, specific antivirals are used for specific viruses...
s, or chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
agents. In those cases, they have the most potent antibiotic
Antibiotic
An antibacterial is a compound or substance that kills or slows down the growth of bacteria.The term is often used synonymously with the term antibiotic; today, however, with increased knowledge of the causative agents of various infectious diseases, antibiotic has come to denote a broader range of...
, antiviral
Antiviral drug
Antiviral drugs are a class of medication used specifically for treating viral infections. Like antibiotics for bacteria, specific antivirals are used for specific viruses...
, or anticancer
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
effects, and/or are drugs for which no (or very few) resistant strains are known. They are usually withheld from administration to prevent the development of resistance
Drug resistance
Drug resistance is the reduction in effectiveness of a drug such as an antimicrobial or an antineoplastic in curing a disease or condition. When the drug is not intended to kill or inhibit a pathogen, then the term is equivalent to dosage failure or drug tolerance. More commonly, the term is used...
or due to unpleasant side effects
Adverse drug reaction
An adverse drug reaction is an expression that describes harm associated with the use of given medications at a normal dosage. ADRs may occur following a single dose or prolonged administration of a drug or result from the combination of two or more drugs...
.
Despite the fact that most of the notable drugs of last resort are antibiotics or antivirals, other drugs are sometimes considered drugs of last resort, such as cisapride
Cisapride
Cisapride is a gastroprokinetic agent, a drug which increases motility in the upper gastrointestinal tract. It acts directly as a serotonin 5-HT4 receptor agonist and indirectly as a parasympathomimetic. Stimulation of the serotonin receptors increases acetylcholine release in the enteric nervous...
.
Examples
- AmikacinAmikacinAmikacin is an aminoglycoside antibiotic used to treat different types of bacterial infections. Amikacin works by binding to the bacterial 30S ribosomal subunit, causing misreading of mRNA and leaving the bacterium unable to synthesize proteins vital to its growth.-Administration:Amikacin may be...
- CisaprideCisaprideCisapride is a gastroprokinetic agent, a drug which increases motility in the upper gastrointestinal tract. It acts directly as a serotonin 5-HT4 receptor agonist and indirectly as a parasympathomimetic. Stimulation of the serotonin receptors increases acetylcholine release in the enteric nervous...
- ClozapineClozapineClozapine is an antipsychotic medication used in the treatment of schizophrenia, and is also used off-label in the treatment of bipolar disorder. Wyatt. R and Chew...
- ColistinColistinColistin is a polymyxin antibiotic produced by certain strains of Bacillus polymyxa var. colistinus. Colistin is a mixture of cyclic polypeptides colistin A and B. Colistin is effective against most Gram-negative bacilli and is used as a lingerdoodle. It is one of the last-resort antibiotics for...
- ImipenemImipenemImipenem is an intravenous β-lactam antibiotic developed in 1980. It has an extremely broad spectrum of activity.Imipenem belongs to the subgroup of carbapenems. It is derived from a compound called thienamycin, which is produced by the bacterium Streptomyces cattleya...
- LinezolidLinezolidLinezolid is a synthetic antibiotic used for the treatment of serious infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria that are resistant to several other antibiotics...
- MilrinoneMilrinoneMilrinone is a phosphodiesterase 3 inhibitor. It potentiates the effect of cyclic adenosine monophosphate .Milrinone also enhances contraction of the left ventricle by increasing Ca2+-ATPase activity on the cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum...
- ThalidomideThalidomideThalidomide was introduced as a sedative drug in the late 1950s that was typically used to cure morning sickness. In 1961, it was withdrawn due to teratogenicity and neuropathy. There is now a growing clinical interest in thalidomide, and it is introduced as an immunomodulatory agent used...
- TolcaponeTolcaponeTolcapone is a drug that inhibits the enzyme catechol-O-methyl transferase . - Uses :Tolcapone is used in the treatment of Parkinson's disease as an adjunct to levodopa/carbidopa medication.- Chemistry :...
- VancomycinVancomycinVancomycin INN is a glycopeptide antibiotic used in the prophylaxis and treatment of infections caused by Gram-positive bacteria. It has traditionally been reserved as a drug of "last resort", used only after treatment with other antibiotics had failed, although the emergence of...