Drug of last resort

Drug of last resort

Drugs of last resort are drugs only used when all other options are exhausted. Many of the best known are antibiotics, antivirals, 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.[1]

Examples

References

  1. ^ "FDA tells doctors to use heartburn drug as last resort". BMJ 320 (7231): 336. 5 February 2000. PMC 1173548. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1173548. 



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