β-lactam antibiotics (beta-lactam antibiotics) are antibiotics that contain a beta-lactam ring in their chemical
structure. This includes penicillin derivatives (penams), cephalosporins and cephamycins (cephems), monobactams, carbapenems[1] and carbacephems.[2] Most β-lactam antibiotics work by inhibiting cell wall biosynthesis in the bacterial organism and are the most widely used group of antibiotics. Until 2003, when measured by sales, more than half of all commercially available antibiotics in use were β-lactam compounds.[3] The first β-lactam antibiotic discovered, penicillin, was isolated from a strain of Penicillium rubens (named as Penicillium notatum at the time).[4][5]
Bacteria often develop resistance to β-lactam antibiotics by synthesizing a β-lactamase, an enzyme that attacks the β-lactam ring. To overcome this resistance, β-lactam antibiotics can be given with β-lactamase inhibitors such as clavulanic acid.[6]
^Yao, JDC, Moellering, RC Jr. (2007). "Antibacterial agents". In Murray, PR, et al. (eds.). Manual of Clinical Microbiology (9th ed.). Washington D.C.: ASM Press. Cited in Non-Penicillin Beta Lactam Drugs: A CGMP Framework for Preventing Cross-Contamination (Report). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Food and Drug Administration; Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER). April 2013. Archived from the original on December 13, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2019 – via US FDA website.