Novel ketolide antibacterial agents - With special reference to telithromycin

Ketolide antibacterial agents have been under development worldwide as a new class of antibacterial agents. Initial research and development of ketolide antibacterials has been aimed at identifying characteristic properties of ketolide compounds, and telithromycin, the agent that has been developed the furthest has been used clinically in many countries. The chemical structure of ketolides is characterized by a ketone group at position-8, and bacteriologicaly they exhibit potent antibacterial activity against pathogenic bacteria of respiratory and otorhinological infections, such as gram-positive cocci, Haemophilus, atypical microorganisms, and intracellularly parasitic bacteria. Telithromycins characterized by potent activity against penicillin-, macrolide- and quinolone-resistant Streptococcus pneumoniae, and there is no cross-resistance with other antibacterial agents.