Challenges facing the drug discovery pipeline for non-tuberculous mycobacteria

Non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections are increasingly being reported worldwide. They are a major concern for healthcare professionals for multiple reasons, ranging from the intrinsic resistance of NTM to most conventionally utilized antimicrobials to inharmonious diagnostic criteria utilized for evaluation of NTM-infected patients, leading to high morbidity. In this review, we highlight the paucity of drugs having potent anti-NTM activity amongst the new antimicrobials currently under various stages of development for anti-tubercular activity and issue a call for the establishment of a concerted dedicated drug discovery pipeline targeting NTM.