Recently developed synthetic compounds with anti-infective activity

The ability of antibiotics to cure bacterial infections is at a serious risk due to the emergence and worldwide spread of superbugs. A lack of innovation and investment for almost 50 years has led to significant efforts currently being devoted to find alternative and innovative therapies to face this challenge. This short review highlights some of the recent efforts to develop synthetic small molecules with anti-infective activity. This article is focused on those compounds that, when co-administered with an antibiotic, enhance the antimicrobial action of the drug, as well as compounds that target unexplored objectives for bacterial survival. Selected examples are provided.