Antimicrobial resistance is an increasing public health concern, all the more as it is concurrently accompanied by limited antimicrobial drugs development, especially broad-spectrum antibiotics. Tigecycline, the first in the novel glycylcycline class to undergo clinical development, showed extensive in vitro activity against a broad range of Gram positive aerobes, among which Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Gram negative pathogens, such as Haemophilus influenzae and enterobacteriae, despite these germs resistance to beta-lactams, vancomycin, and a number of other common antibiotics. Tigecycline is also active against some anaerobes. Data obtained in phase II clinical trials have shown good tolerance and efficacy of tigecycline administered by intravenous infusion in the treatment of complicated skin and skin structure infections and intra-abdominal infections. Should these results be confirmed by phase III clinical trials, tigecycline would provide a new option in the ongoing fight against resistant pathogens, which would usefully add to the present antibacterial armamentarium, particularly in severe or hospital treated infections.