Addressing urgent priorities in antibiotic development: insights from WHO 2023 antibacterial clinical pipeline analyses

Antimicrobial resistance is a global health concern, particularly among children under five. It requires a comprehensive approach, including infection prevention, surveillance, stewardship, therapy appropriateness, and research. However, research in this field is limited, lags behind other fields like cancer or HIV. The 2023 WHO analysis of the global antibacterial clinical pipeline highlights gaps in developing a robust drug pipeline. The analysis evaluates antibiotic activity against the new WHO bacterial priority pathogens list 2024, highlighting changing resistance patterns and new resistance mechanisms.