Health and Me

Rachel V Thomas

WHO's New Guidance to Accelerate Antibiotics Development for 3 Deadly Bacterial Infections

Amid a global increase in multidrug resistance, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released new guidelines that flags the lack of innovative antibiotics for vulnerable populations, as well as press the need for the rapid development of drugs to target three deadly bacterial infections.

The WHO's 2025 report on antibacterials in pipeline has highlighted that 90 new antibacterial agents are in preclinical or clinical development. Yet few are innovative antibiotic candidates with potential to target bacterial priority pathogens.

The WHO-developed Target Product Profiles (TPPs) call for accelerating the development of antibiotics to tackle the burden of drug-resistant bacteria in at-risk populations worldwide that lead to:

<ul><li>Severe multidrug-resistant gram-negative infections such as bloodstream infections and hospital-acquired or ventilator-associated bacterial <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health/pneumonia">pneumonia</a>. These are caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.</li></ul><ul><li>Severe antibiotic-resistant gram-positive infections in immune-suppressed and critically ill patients. It is caused by Enterococcus faecium</li><li>Community-acquired and health care-associated bacterial meningitis -- a devastating and deadly disease that not only accelerates fatality rate but also causes long-term disabilities, including hearing loss, epilepsy or cognitive impairment. </li></ul>

“The scientific community has developed and approved new antibiotics in recent years. This is good, but unfortunately not sufficient to catch up with evolving drug-resistant bacteria, especially against those of greatest concern,” said Dr Yvan Hutin, Director of Antimicrobial Resistance at WHO. 

"We need a reliable pipeline with new antibacterial agents that are innovative, affordable, and accessible to all those who need them.” 

The TPPs have been developed with extensive global consultation and also define the minimum and preferred characteristics of future antibacterials against these diseases, which specifically increase the risk of immunosuppressed people and critically ill patients. The vulnerable populations are also at risk of more deaths, prolonged hospitalizations and increased demand for intensive care that in turn strains health care systems.

<ul><li>prioritizes developing antibiotics for infections with high morbidity and mortality</li><li>sets specific standards for quality, efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics</li><li>includes diverse and vulnerable populations, including immunosuppressed patients, critically ill patients, neonates, and children</li><li>promotes partnerships between public and private sector</li></ul>

<h2>Rising Global Antimicrobial Resistance </h2>

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when germs develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them.

It is one of the 10 top global health threats, undermining the effectiveness of essential treatments and placing millions at risk of untreatable infections.

As per WHO data, AMR is an urgent global public health threat, killing at least 1.27 million people worldwide and associated with nearly 5 million deaths in 2019. 

In the US alone, more than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur each year. More than 35,000 people die as a result, according to CDC's 2019 Antibiotic Resistance (AR) Threats Report.

The WHO in a 2025 report noted that one in six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections causing common infections in people worldwide in 2023 were resistant to antibiotic treatments. 

Between 2018 and 2023, antibiotic resistance rose in over 40 percent of the monitored antibiotics with an average annual increase of 5-15 percent.

Health Conditions A-Z

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global antimicrobial resistance antimicrobial

antibiotic resistance

meningitis

enterobacterales

target product profiles

pneumonia

antibiotics

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Amid a global increase in multidrug resistance, the World Health Organization (WHO) has released new guidelines that flags the lack of innovative antibiotics for vulnerable populations, as well as press the need for the rapid development of drugs to target three deadly bacterial infections.The WHO's 2025 report on antibacterials in pipeline has highlighted that 90 new antibacterial agents are in preclinical or clinical development. Yet few are innovative antibiotic candidates with potential to target bacterial priority pathogens.The WHO-developed Target Product Profiles (TPPs) call for accelerating the development of antibiotics to tackle the burden of drug-resistant bacteria in at-risk populations worldwide that lead to:Severe multidrug-resistant gram-negative infections such as bloodstream infections and hospital-acquired or ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia. These are caused by carbapenem-resistant Enterobacterales, Acinetobacter baumannii, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa.Severe antibiotic-resistant gram-positive infections in immune-suppressed and critically ill patients. It is caused by Enterococcus faeciumCommunity-acquired and health care-associated bacterial meningitis -- a devastating and deadly disease that not only accelerates fatality rate but also causes long-term disabilities, including hearing loss, epilepsy or cognitive impairment. “The scientific community has developed and approved new antibiotics in recent years. This is good, but unfortunately not sufficient to catch up with evolving drug-resistant bacteria, especially against those of greatest concern,” said Dr Yvan Hutin, Director of Antimicrobial Resistance at WHO. "We need a reliable pipeline with new antibacterial agents that are innovative, affordable, and accessible to all those who need them.” The TPPs have been developed with extensive global consultation and also define the minimum and preferred characteristics of future antibacterials against these diseases, which specifically increase the risk of immunosuppressed people and critically ill patients. The vulnerable populations are also at risk of more deaths, prolonged hospitalizations and increased demand for intensive care that in turn strains health care systems.What The TPPs Seek The TPPs share a blueprint which: prioritizes developing antibiotics for infections with high morbidity and mortalitysets specific standards for quality, efficacy, safety, and pharmacokineticsincludes diverse and vulnerable populations, including immunosuppressed patients, critically ill patients, neonates, and childrenpromotes partnerships between public and private sectorRising Global Antimicrobial Resistance Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) occurs when germs develop the ability to defeat the drugs designed to kill them.It is one of the 10 top global health threats, undermining the effectiveness of essential treatments and placing millions at risk of untreatable infections. As per WHO data, AMR is an urgent global public health threat, killing at least 1.27 million people worldwide and associated with nearly 5 million deaths in 2019. In the US alone, more than 2.8 million antimicrobial-resistant infections occur each year. More than 35,000 people die as a result, according to CDC's 2019 Antibiotic Resistance (AR) Threats Report. The WHO in a 2025 report noted that one in six laboratory-confirmed bacterial infections causing common infections in people worldwide in 2023 were resistant to antibiotic treatments. Between 2018 and 2023, antibiotic resistance rose in over 40 percent of the monitored antibiotics with an average annual increase of 5-15 percent.