Still not enough antibiotics in the works to fight superbugs, WHO says

In a new report shared by Becker’s Hospital Review, the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that not enough progress has been made in developing new antibiotics to fight drug-resistant infections.

This yearly report found that there are currently 43 antibiotics in development around the world, almost half of which target pathogens that pose a severe threat to human health. This report notes that of those 26 antibiotics that target ‘priority pathogens’, only two are active against critical multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.

The WHO’s analysis also states that “of the 11 new antibiotics approved by the FDA or European Medicines Agency since 2017, nine are from existing antibiotic classes where resistance is either already occurring or predicted,” posing limited clinical benefits over existing treatments.

The WHO’s fourth annual review also identifies a lack of “oral antibiotic options for multidrug-resistant infections, which would allow for shorter treatment durations or treatment outside of healthcare facilities.”

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