The Microbiome Factor in Drug Discovery and Development

Here we review recent studies which illustrate three areas where the microbiome directly impacts drug development: 1) microbial effects on drug safety and efficacy; 2) the effects of drugs on causing collateral restructuring of microbiome communities and 3) the potential side-effects of novel therapies targeting the microbiome. Based on the findings of these and other studies, we advocate the systematic incorporation of microbiome analyses in early to late stage clinical trials as a strategy to increase the overall success rate of the drug discovery and development process.