The need for new antibiotics to effectively treat antibiotic-resistant infections remains unfulfilled. Despite the well-publicised concern over this issue, only two novel antibiotic classes have been introduced in the past 20 years alongside several new agents of existing classes. Accordingly, the current antibiotic armoury remains inadequate to meet the challenges posed by resistance today. More worryingly, there are very few new agents being developed that can be expected to replace existing antibiotics that succumb to the rising tide of resistance.