Francis Tally and the discovery and development of tigecycline: a personal reminiscence.

For Francis Tally, both medicine and science were highly personal undertakings. Tally thought that emotional engagement was important in one's work and one's life, which were inseparable in his case. Indeed, Tally materially participated in no fewer than 4 programs that resulted in the approval and commercialization of novel antibiotics. These included piperacillin-tazobactam (which is currently the injectable antibiotic with the largest volume of sales worldwide) and daptomycin. This article focuses on the discovery and development of tigecycline.