The drug of last resort is a type of pharmaceutical drug which is only used when other treatment options for the condition being treated has failed to produce an adequate response in the person with the condition.
Drugs of last resort are often reserved for severe or life threatening medical conditions and especially when dealing with drug resistant tumors or infections.
The actual drug of last resort can vary depending on the condition being treated.
However some examples of drugs of last resort which are often antibiotics and antipsychotic drugs include.
Clozapine which is an antipsychotic drug that is used for treating resistant schizophrenia after all other options have not worked.
Vancomycin is historically considered a last resort drug for infections such as MRSA, although other resistance is emerging.
Carbapenems, which is a class of antibiotics, and includes drugs like meropenem, which is considered to be vital and often is used as last resort treatments for serious and multi drug resistant bacterial infections.
Colistin is an antibiotic that is used for severe infections that are caused by multi drug resistant bacteria such as Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, and among others and is used when other antibiotics have failed.