Abstract

Multidrug-resistant Gram-negative (MDR-GN) bacteria are the primary culprits of the global public health issue of antimicrobial resistance. Given the lack of safe and effective therapeutic alternatives, the appearance of these infections in neonatal settings poses a hazard to the health of the community of vulnerable neonates. New -lactam/- lactamase inhibitors, such as ceftazidime-avibactam, meropenem-vaborbactam, and imipenem/cilastatin-relebactam, have evidence from studies primarily in adults, but older antibiotics like colistin, tigecycline, and fosfomycin are also included in the fight against MDR-GN infections, which continue to be difficult to treat. Few clinical studies recruit newborns for the evaluation of the effectiveness, safety, and dosage of new antibiotics, while the bulk of these trials enroll neonates for the evaluation of existing antibiotics. As a result, data in the neonatal population are sparse are utilized erratically. This article reviews information on several new and old antibiotics that are effective against MDR-GN bacteria that cause sepsis and may be useful for use in the newborn population.